Why It’s Ok To Be Happy That The Queen Died
As the world knows by now, yesterday, the 8th of September 2022, Queen Elizabeth 2nd of Great Britain passed away in her country home of Balmoral. Since the news of her passing, the British Broadcast Centre has had 24-hour coverage of her accomplishments, her life and her seventy-year reign. Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth was the longest reigning monarch in British history, and there has been an outpouring of grief from royalists all over the world. But on the other end of the spectrum, there are those who are joking, and nearly jubilant, that the queen has passed. There has been an outcry of rage from those begging people to be respectful of the fact that a family has lost their mother and grandmother. And, although that is true, we must remember Queen Elizabeth 2nd for all her accomplishments, and all of her history. This includes the many atrocities created by the crown and perpetrated by Her Majesty herself. A mother may have passed, but this also symbolises the death of the longest reigning monarch of the largest and most powerful colonising nation on the planet. Here, I will break down reasons why some may not be sobbing at the death of a monarch.
Firstly, we must look at what a monarchy is at its core. A monarchy in history has been a way of stabilising power by nepotism; passing the control of the kingdom from heir to heir. It gives way to abuse of power, capitalism, and the division of the higher and lower classes. Monarchies are exceedingly rich and create a chasm between the working-class people and those in power. Working class people have no chance of becoming royalty, unless it is through marriage, and most times, these marriages are a subject of disgust and contempt for the ruler and crown.
The British Empire, now called the British Commonwealth, is one empire which exceeded in colonising up of over 50 countries who now work and trade together. Britain set up a colonial regime in Iraq after a long military campaign during World War I. In response to Iraqi resistance, including a country-wide uprising in 1920, British forces battled for over a decade to pacify the country, using airplanes, armoured cars, firebombs and mustard gas.1 Iraq finally emerged as an independent political entity in 1932. For many people, Queen Elizabeth 2nd is a symbol of oppression and genocide for many of the countries which the Empire ruled over. She was queen when Britain helped lead the war that destroyed Iraq, and just this year gave a knighthood to one of the main instigators of the violence, Tony Blair. Many who do not mourn Her Majesties passing ask the question: where is the mourning for the hundreds upon thousands of lives lost at the hands of colonisation?
Of course, we cannot forget the Northern Ireland Troubles which Queen Elizabeth 2nd presided over for more than half of her reign. Beginning in 1541, Ireland was ruled by Britain, who often used the island as a colony to be exploited. The largely Catholic population of Irish people were persecuted by Penal Laws, having their land taken away and given to British Protestants. Over time, an Irish nationalist movement grew, and after decades of brutal fighting, Britain partitioned the country in 1921. Majority-Catholic Ireland gained its independence, and Northern Ireland, billed as “a Protestant state for Protestant people,” remained part of the United Kingdom.2 Not all Northern Irish people wanted to serve a monarch, and sectarian violence persisted up until the Good Friday Agreement of April 10, 1998. But before that, there were atrocities committed on both sides, such as Bloody Sunday of January 30, 1972, where 21 British soldiers fired on a crowd of nationalist protestors, killing 13 men and injuring others. It was a violent escalation that increased popular support for the IRA and represented Britain’s willingness to silence the nationalists, overseen by the rule of Queen Elizabeth 2nd. She was, however, integral to the de-escalation of the war and brokering peace between the nations; even making a historic visit to Ireland in 2011, the first visit by a British monarch in 100 years. She greeted an assembly of politicians as Gaeilge, and many fondly remember this monumental moment. However, it will do well to recall that it is because of Britain and their colonisation that the Irish native language is now no longer widely spoken by the masses, and one scarcely spoken phrase is very little, very late when it comes to excusing the violence perpetrated by years of rule by the monarchy.
Moving away from international relations, and into a more personal light, recent years have shown the unwillingness for change and a bending of the rules when it comes to the long-lasting traditions of the British monarchy, including that of racism and marriage between commoners and royalty. We have seen how Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, stepped away from their senior positions to the crown and went on the Oprah Winfrey show to discuss troubles they had with the royal family. Markle said she experienced racism while living in London and said she did not feel support from the royal family. During the two-hour chat, Markle revealed that she contemplated suicide amid a flurry of British tabloid headlines, and she detailed how the colour of her son Archie’s skin was debated.3 Meghan’s treatment as a Royal was appalling, first sparking hope that the monarchy was catching up with the times and that there may be a child of colour within the Royal family, but a quick reality check was had when the couple were, according to supporters, driven out by toxic coverage in the British media, which often veered into racist harassment and bullying.4
Although racism may be acceptable within the Royal family, presided over by Her Majesty, paedophilia seems to be allowed. Jimmy Saville, a DJ who was revealed as a paedophile in 2011, had intimate contacts with the British Royal family. Savile claimed he was “in the palaces on a regular basis”. Savile’s heinous history of sexual assault was revealed shortly after his death in 2011, with the DJ and philanthropist allegedly molesting hundreds of children and women over the course of several decades.5 Of course, let us not forget the Royal now involved in the sex abuse scandal, Prince Andrew. The Duke of York has been accused of sexual abuse in a civil case in the US. His former friend, Ghislaine Maxwell, has been found guilty of recruiting and trafficking underage girls to be sexually abused by the late billionaire paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.6 Queen Elizabeth’s 2nd son has many allegations linked to him, and even more damning evidence alongside, which I shall no delve into, but will certainly come to light soon. He was stripped of his royal duties after the claims surfaced, however was allowed to keep his royal titles.
Although there will be thousands of royalists in mourning in the coming days, and sensitivity is paramount when approaching a grieving person, we would do well to remember and acknowledge that the death of Queen Elizabeth 2nd is not just the death of a mother and grandmother, but the death of a monarch who, for many, symbolised all that Is wrong and unjust in this post-colonisation, capitalistic society. Mourn her if you will, but we cannot brush over everything that is evil and inappropriate about allowing a monarchy to reign as a symbol of power for a nation which has long moved on from the need for nepotism and plantation. You will find media coverage across the world honouring the good she did, which, I will adamantly admit was great, but brushing over the bad and donning her in a rose tint which fictionalises and represses the unacceptable nature of the institution of which Queen Elizabeth 2nd was head of; an institution seething in paedophilia, incest, colonialism, racism, and capitalism. May Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth 2nd rest in peace, along with, most hopefully, the outdated traditions and power of the Royal British Monarchy.
Sources:
1. British Colonialism and Repression in Iraq (globalpolicy.org)
2. What were the Troubles that ravaged Northern Ireland? | National Geographic
3. Inside Queen Elizabeth’s rocky relationship with Meghan Markle (nypost.com)
4. Meghan Markle and British racism: What her saga says to black Britons (nbcnews.com)
5. Royal Family’s ties to paedophile Jimmy Savile revealed (bolnews.com)
6. What are the accusations against Prince Andrew? — BBC News
