Why are so many people in constitutional monarchies proud of the monarchy and "what it represents"?

I live in Norway, so I do understand the issue. People are free to believe as they choose, but I personally cannot comprehend what somebody means when they tell me they are proud of our king and of the monarchy because of "what it represents". What? It represents a history of imperialism in many other countries and of intolerance towards outsiders. It has only been in the past 65 years, since the end of World War II, when the oppressors (first the kings and then the Nazis) were defeated/lost political power that we have been able to prosper. Our king has incredibly limited authority and as such Norway has become one of the wealthiest nations on the planet. We have one of the top 10 health care systems in the industrialized world. I don't want to brag, but this has all come with the defeat of royal power- at least in my country and Italy. Sure, he has no power, but public tax dollars keep him fed, clothed, and sitting on the thrown doing virtually nothing- case in point, our Prime Minister does more diplomatic work than the king does. It angers me. I want a democratically elected president to serve as head of state and a true separation of powers. What is there to be proud of with respect to monarchies? Specifically, I am asking people in Spain, Britain and the Commonwealth, Scandinavia, and Thailand.