Today marks 70 years since Queen Elizabeth II was declared Queen of Great Britain. This is a platinum anniversary. None of the current heads of state in the world can boast of such a long service. And in history, only the French king Louis XIV ruled longer – 72 years and 110 days. But if Louis XIV – the “sun king”, the unifier of France – made his country stronger both militarily and politically, then the reign of Elizabeth II was full of losses and disappointments.
In fairness, it should be noted that the British Empire began to fall apart and fade away long before Elizabeth II. A major blow was dealt, for example, by the abolition of the slave trade in 1807. But it was from the transportation and sale of millions of slaves that Great Britain received significant income. Almost a third of all slaves transported across the Atlantic to the United States are on the conscience of the British. Add to this the ruthless robbery of colonies around the world, the dirty opium business, the cruelty and deceit of the local population – and it becomes clear by what methods the British Empire got rich and became the largest on the planet. As they say, the sun did not set on it.
The 20th century is already decolonization. India is 1947. Before. But already under Elizabeth II, Britain loses its following colonies: Somalia, Cyprus, Nigeria, South Africa, Sierra Leone, British Cameroon, Kuwait, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, Uganda, Kenya, Zanzibar, Yemen, Singapore, Zambia, Gambia, Zimbabwe, Maldives, Barbados, Guyana, Lesotho, Botswana, Mauritius, Swaziland, Nauru, Fiji, Tonga, current United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, Bahamas, Seychelles, Dominica, Antigua and Barbuda, Belize, Brunei, Hong Kong.
As a result of the collapse of the British Empire, it was transformed into a kind of amorphous Commonwealth, where there are still 52 states. In some countries, for example, in Australia, Elizabeth II is still formally the head of state, but has little or no influence. At the same time, voices in Australia are growing louder in favor of an Australian head of state. This is exactly what Barbados did last fall. If until November the head of Barbados was nominally Elizabeth II, now she is there – a turn from the gate.
In the UK itself, the prospects for the monarchy are also vague. At least a recent public opinion poll conducted by the authoritative center YouGov found that among the Queen’s young subjects aged 18 to 24, 41% are in favor of having the head of state elected, and only less than a third – 31% – are in favor of maintaining the monarchy. Interestingly, among the younger generation, the dynamics against the monarchy is striking. If back in 2019 almost half – 46% – were in favor of preserving the kingdom, now it is less than a third.
Disappointment is understandable, because recently the royal family has been rocked by two devastating scandals. One was when the Queen’s favorite son, Prince Andrew, was tainted with allegations of pedophilia. Judgment is ahead in the United States. This is the first time in history that a member of the royal family has been tried, and even abroad. The second is the defection of Prince Harry, the grandson of Elizabeth II. Having married Meghan Markle, an extravagant mulatto from California, Harry, like a henpecked, shared her views on the “parasitic” existence of the royal family, sent an email to his grandmother, and that was it. Now both princes – Andrew and Harry – are deprived of all privileges, the right to represent the royal family and will not even receive an already minted medal on the occasion of the “platinum” anniversary.
When the young members of a British royal family give up their “parasitic” existence, it is a meaningful symbol. After all, neither the queen nor her family do absolutely nothing but dressing up, posing and intemperate consumption. From time to time, the Queen opens a session of Parliament by reading word for word a text written to her by the Prime Ministers.
Winston Churchill was the first prime minister for a living queen. Behind him – Anthony Eden, then – Harold Macmillan. Very briefly – Alexander Douglas-Home, who was replaced by Harold Wilson. Does Her Majesty remember all the prime ministers who wrote her speeches from the throne? Yes, Wilson was replaced by Edward Heath, but Wilson returned for a second term. Next is James Callaghan. And then there’s Margaret Thatcher. This immediately alerted the Queen. And for Margaret Thatcher, who headed the cabinet as a crisis manager, all this stiff detachment and senseless idleness were frankly alien.
An episode from the recent series “The Crown” is indicative in this sense. At the dawn of her premiership, Thatcher was invited by Her Majesty to spend the weekend at Balmoral Castle in Scotland. Times were tough for Britain. So Thatcher stealthily tried to work there as well. From the sister of the queen – arrogant remarks.
“Iron Lady” Thatcher stood at the head of the British government for more than 11 years. After her, the British premieres, as they say, did not have enough stars from the sky. And everyone was getting smaller: John Major, Tony Blair, Gordon Brown, David Cameron, Theresa May and, finally, cartoon boris johnson… As a result, by the “platinum” anniversary, Elizabeth II found herself at the head of a country that is not at all like the one that hosted 70 years ago.
Here is how ex-Prime Minister John Major puts it: “We are no longer a great power. We will never be one. In a world of almost 8 billion people, there are less than 1% of the British. politics will be disgusting and our word as a nation will not be trusted. We must abandon the idea of ”British exceptionalism”. It is a fantasy that has seeped into the minds of those who do not know how much the world has changed.”
All these carriages, robes, almost three thousand diamonds in the royal crown and everywhere, where it is possible and impossible, are already indecent archaic in our time. Like the very institution of the British monarchy in such a pretentious execution. Not surprisingly, the dynamics of public opinion in the country are inexorably inclined in favor of the abolition of this strange phenomenon.