I’ll start with a disclaimer, I’m no fan of the royal family. I could argue that there is no place for them in the 21st century. But that is not what this post is about. This post is about the shameful behaviour of the British public.
Queen Elizabeth II worked up until the day she died. Whilst that may be seen as commitment to her duty, I can’t help but feel sorry for her. I think of my own nan who is the same age. I would not be happy about her pushing herself so much just to please the people.
Not only did she work up until the day she died, she also worked in death, being paraded around the country. Whilst I understand there has to be some pomp and ceremony, I find something grim about dragging a dead body around the country so the public can glare.
Once the queen was lying in state, there was a queue for miles, and you know how much us Brits like a queue. If the public were there to pay their respects, I understand, but I can’t help but feel that a lot of people were there for the circus. The royal family went to see the crowds, as is their job, but the crowds were cheering, it didn't feel like anyone was paying their respects. It felt as though they were there to get that photo or video for social media likes. If one is so upset by someone passing, surely that photo or video would be special, something private, not an excuse to take advantage of a grieving family.
The royal family are people. They are grieving and yet they have to perform for the British public. I find this sad, disrespectful and selfish. It reminds me of the death of Princess Diana. The royal family had to come back to London because the public demanded it. Nevermind that the family were grieving and looking after two young boys who had just lost their mother in a horrific accident. The family were expected to perform. This included the two princes, aged 15 and 12 years old. These children were paraded in front of crowds who didn’t know their mother, yet they thought they did. I can’t imagine me at 12 years old being able to handle such insincerity. The British people didn’t care about the family and what was best for two young boys. They wanted their circus and unfortunately, they got it.
This has replayed itself again with Queen Elizabeth II. The family being paraded around. The British public demanding their circus. At the queen’s funeral, Prince George aged 9 and Princess Charlotte aged 7 were part of the funeral service. I don't care what protocol says, I don't care about tradition, I care about two young children being paraded at a most upsetting time. I could not believe this happened. I don’t have children and I'm not maternal, but this is horrific. I was an adult when my nan died and I was a mess, what a child must feel I can't comprehend. I can't understand any parent that puts protocol or tradition ahead of their child's wellbeing.
It is things like this that make me ashamed to be British. We seem to see the royal family as property, as celebrity, as a right. They are people. It might be time to question whether we should keep the monarchy, if only for the mental wellbeing of the family.
