They still call it the "House of Lords"? Seems like a title like that should have gone out with the guillotine.
Well, they have finally put a stop to hereditery peers.
Until very, very recently, most people in the house of lords inherited their titles from their parents, and got an automatic seat in the government. A chap was released from prison in the USA for fraud, a week later he was sitting in the house of lords voting!
Anyway, hereditry peers no longer get a seat, but there are some folks in the upper house at the moment who survived the change, and are their due to privelege of class nothing more - altough their children won't be able to follow them.
I think the monarchy, and the ruling classes, and the titles of duke,lord,baron etc etc should be swept into the dustbin of history