Yeah it is interesting. I think the monarchy and aristocracy in general was meant to be a living ideal as well, a symbol, though I'm not sure that people were or are supposed to strive for that ideal in terms of wealth or class, since we know that individual upward mobility was rare.

I actually find that many Americans practically worship those dead presidents and especially "The Founders" and their holy book The Constitution. Maybe the effect is pretty similar in terms of the propaganda element even when the people are long gone..

Our money here also has dead leaders, or "national heroes" who did something that people may want to use as inspiration. Not the coins, but the paper money.