In 2016, Netflix premiered one of its most successful and expensive series. The Crown, produced by renowned composer Hans Zimmer, has attempted to tell the complex story of Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor, the current representative of the British crown.
The series goes through the difficulties experienced by the young princess in her sudden rise to power, her private family affairs, and the political difficulties she’s faced through the decades. A complex drama that connects with our feelings, surely; however, it’s inevitable to think about the hypocrisy the character represents. At first, the series focuses on the personal pain of a queen in love while, at the same time, there were territories under her control with thousands of people suffering under the iron control of the English empire.
If there is one element that the series highlights, in addition to the qualities of the queen as a dignified and efficient monarch for her government, is how these types of political systems are obsolete today. Elizabeth II’s role over the years has been reduced to providing words of encouragement at certain times and serving as a “supreme” figure among her people.
In an age where religion is separate from government, this kind of fanaticism is nothing more than banal admiration for an idealized figure. She’s currently 95 years old and the longest-living sovereign in history, but despite receiving too much love from the British people, some claim that it is time to abolish the monarchy and end it when the day of her death arrives.
The republican movement in the United Kingdom will push for the abolition proposal after Elizabeth’s death and before the coronation of her son Charles as successor. Here are some of the reasons why the Crown should end and make way for a future free of a blood-stained past:
Her Empire no longer exists
There was a time when the British Empire was the most powerful on the globe. It had territories in almost every continent and corner of the world, but thanks to Elizabeth II’s last three predecessors, all that is gone. Although she has countries under her rule in what is known as the Commonwealth, they are just a shadow of a past when slavery, repression, and invasion of foreign territories reigned.
She still has the most power, but it remains in the hands of the ministers
Elizabeth II has certain rights that allow her to give executive instructions, but she has never used them. Instead, she allows ministers to make decisions for her, and in the end, she must only approve changes. It is an impractical and absurd process in the 21st century. If she does not govern in any form, there is no point in keeping her on taxpayer payments.
There is no real democracy
Although the Crown implemented a democracy when it established a system of ministers, the Queen has the power in every decision if she so chooses. The monarchy operates by rules of succession, and the people cannot choose their next monarch. Although civil society can choose its representatives in parliament, they still live under one individual rule.
Taxpayers are responsible for maintaining the monarchy
The monarchy has various businesses attached to its rule, which allows them to accumulate more wealth than they possess. However, a big percentage of people’s taxes are destined to the monarchy, both as an institution and to its members. Over the years, there have been various crises, and although the Crown could level the economic playing field by reducing the amount of taxes, it chooses not to do so and maintain a clean but false image.
It creates celebrities out of royalty and promotes class division
For much of the past decade, the headlines have had Elizabeth’s grandchildren involved in various scandals. The tabloids and celebrity press followed them as celebrities, thinkers, or scientists when they were merely heirs to the Crown. As a consequence of this new aristocracy, they unconsciously promote class division, and by admiring the monarchy, the people immediately reduce their value as participants in their governmental system.
She is the last ruler worthy of the position
We can say that the United Kingdom was lucky with Elizabeth II. She brought personality to the Crown and managed to handle several political crises with her Prime Ministers. However, that does not ensure that her son Charles or her grandchildren will have the same skills for government, and any of them could ruin the monarchy if they make the wrong decisions. The Queen is a symbol, an icon of a bygone time that helped the transition to the new era, and abolishing her system with her departure would be ideal for the next step in the modern world.
Holding on to the Crown would be incongruous
Throughout its history, the British monarchy was responsible for various genocides and repressions. Queen Elizabeth II has done her best to clean up the image and return the monarchy to a dignified status, but the world can’t forget what her Empire has done. Although it helped the world progress, its permanence is unfeasible; it must remain in the past as a mark that shaped history, but it is time to move on.
The British monarchy is a reminder of the blood shed by those who defended their lands from their yoke. Queen Elizabeth II has had a long life, and so has the monarchy; but the world has changed, and it has been proven, time after time, that monarchies as political systems are outdated and prevent evolution. Sorry Charles, but you don’t seem to have what it takes to keep up with a system like this.
Read more:
Crimes Queen Elizabeth II Can Commit Without Legal Consequences
20 Curious Facts About Queen Elizabeth II That Will Blow Your Mind
