The global response to the death of Queen Elizabeth II, the UK’s longest-serving monarch last Thursday, has been varied, as expected. There are those – outside of her family and relatives, of course – who mourn the passing of the 96-year-old iconic figure who reigned for 70 years; and others who have found it cause for celebration. Indeed, there have been posts on social media of ‘Lizzie’s dead’ parties and toasts to that in bars.
Also, in keeping with the times in which we now live, there has been an upsurge of memes featuring the late Queen. Some depict grief and respect, others are funny and lighthearted, and then there are those that can only be categorised as mean-spirited and contemptuous, but that can perhaps be described as social media’s cause celebre – to each his own.
There are, to boot, strident voices online and elsewhere that appear unable to grasp the concept of that last phrase; that every person is entitled to his or her own preferences and tastes. Some have gone to great lengths to scold and remind citizens of former and current and British colonies (now called UK overseas territories) and descendants of slavery of the crown’s past tyranny – as if they could forget – insisting that it is poor form to mourn the deaths of those who oppressed them; even to the point of shaming them. Bullyism, as it happens, is also a form of oppression and is equally unacceptable.
While holding no brief for the Queen, there are a few points worth noting. She was the figurehead of a historically much-despised, oppressive system, but her death unfortunately does not mean an end to the monarchy. The euphoria with which some have greeted it is therefore puzzling and more than a tad misplaced. The end of an era headlines refer only to the fact that the UK and doubtlessly the world, will never again see a monarch of Elizabeth’s stature, nor a reign of that length. Kingdoms, as it happens, are fast becoming outmoded. Nevertheless, as of now, the wheels have continued to turn and King Charles III has already ascended to the throne.
We would be getting ahead of ourselves to say that the world should expect more of the same going forward. Though the role is mostly ceremonial – the United Kingdom is led by a prime minister and its monarch must be politically neutral – King Charles will find it extremely difficult, if not impossible, to fill his mother’s shoes.
There are no specific, earth-shattering accomplishments that can be attributed to Elizabeth, but there can be no doubt that she had a presence and a dignity that was unwavering throughout her reign. She has been described as having brought stability to the British Empire, some amount of prestige to the Commonwealth, and with modernising the monarchy by embracing change, including technology.
However, the global veneration that followed her for years, perhaps came more from the things she did not do. Ever conscious of the life into which she was born and the role demanded of her, unlike quite a few of her ancestors and progeny, Elizabeth kept the so-called British stiff upper lip intact to the point of being called cold by those who never walked a mile in her shoes.
All sorts of impropriety have stained the royal family over the years of her life, but none stemmed directly from her own conduct. Elizabeth was just ten years old when the family endured the scandal of her uncle Edward VIII’s abdication in 1936, just 11 months after his coronation as king, which quite possibly had a profound effect on the way she chose to live her own life.
Any mother who has been disappointed by her children’s conduct knows how painful that can be. How much worse when it is done in the public eye? Yet Elizabeth’s stoicism did not retreat in the face of her son Charles’s separation and divorce from the late Princess Diana amidst claims of adultery on his part; or Prince Andrew’s divorce from Sarah Ferguson, again laced with drama and accusations of infidelity; and more recently, the revelations of Andrew’s tainted relationship with the late sex-offender Jeffrey Epstein and the subsequent lawsuit brought by a woman who accused Andrew of sexually assaulting her when she was underage. In the face of an outcry, the Queen took a decision to strip him of his military titles and royal patronages and Andrew later settled with his accuser.
Finally, while one cannot separate Queen Elizabeth from the system into which she was born, lived and died, there is no denying or forgetting that she was also a strong, exceptional and conscientious woman. Her passing indeed marks the end of an era and those who choose to mourn should be free to do so in whatever way they see fit.
