Queen Elizabeth II controversy

The Queen’s death leaves behind a complicated legacy under scrutiny by the whole world

Maria Simpson / Opinion Editor / The USD Vista

As the whole world has been made aware by now, Queen Elizabeth II, the United Kingdom’s longest-reigning monarch, passed away at age 96 on Sept. 8, 2022. The Queen reigned for 70 years, beginning her rule in 1952. While the death of any public official as big as the Queen of England is sure to garner reaction from the public, Queen Elizabeth’s passing has sparked wild controversy across the globe, which can be found — of course — plastered all over the internet. The Queen’s death leaves much for people to think about and discuss, but the world’s reaction has made it clear that we must learn to draw a line, distinguishing the public figure from the person.

Much like the infamous 2022 Oscars slap, the Queen’s death created a wave of material for social media in an instant. I must admit that I found out she died through a meme page I follow. As the day went on and I jumped on and off of Instagram, I was surprised by how many tribute posts I saw celebrities make for the Queen and how many people I know were reposting memorial posts on their stories. I was surprised mainly because they were all Americans. England’s royal family holds no real significance to the American people at all, yet many Americans are completely enthralled by the lives and drama of the monarchy. Perhaps it is because the idea of a monarchy is so foreign that it intrigues us, or perhaps it is thanks to Netflix’s hit series “The Crown.” Either way, it is clear that many people idolized the Queen in some form.  

Then there is the other side of social media that revealed the low regard that many other people had for Queen Elizabeth II. There were countless memes featuring the Queen and the topic of her death. One meme made by @hellicity_merriman on Instagram read, “we only made this post so that someone out there finds out the queen died via american girl doll meme account.” That joke became a reality when their account announced the event to me before the ‘News’ app on my phone even did.

Memes such as the ones featured on an Instagram post by @siberianbeardog sport an array of jokes aimed at the Queen. Did they make me laugh? Yes. But I do find the range of reactions on social media interesting. While some mourned the passing of an icon, others made jokes out of the situation.

One of the most viral memes that went around was a rumor that internet personality, Trisha Paytas, gave birth to her daughter the same day that the Queen died and that the Queen was reincarnated as Paytas’ baby. Many people went so far as to state that Paytas had named her child “Elizabeth” after the Queen, creating a hilarious situation. However, Paytas posted an announcement the day following the Queen’s death, confirming that she was very much still pregnant and the rumors were false.

She wrote, “I almost felt sad yesterday to tell people this. The internet is a weird place. I don’t know how any of those rumors started or why?” Paytas is certainly right; the Queen’s passing has demonstrated once again how bizarre the internet can be.

But why are so many people making memes as a response to the Queen’s death? At the end of 2021, renowned actress and beloved American icon Betty White passed away at age 99. However, when she died there were no memes or wild rumors run amok. The two women were similar in age, both were incredibly famous, and both died within a year of each other, yet the responses from the internet were very different. I believe we find our answer to the Queen Elizabeth memes here: the Queen was a very controversial figure, so people are inclined to act with more humor and less remorse in comparison to when Betty White died.  

As some people mourned the death of a beloved celebrity and some made memes about the Queen, other people — both online and off — were busy raising awareness about the dark history behind Queen Elizabeth II’s reign. The U.K. has a long history of invading and colonizing countries on nearly every continent. This long-standing practice of British colonization has made lasting repercussions that affect governments, economies, cultures and people of countries around the world, even after Britain decolonized under Elizabeth II.

On Instagram, @impact shared a post with further information about these issues. The post featured screenshots of tweets shared by people affected by these horrible actions. Mukoma Wa Ngugi tweeted, “if the queen had apologized for slavery, colonialism and neocolonialism and urged the crown to offer reparations for the millions of lives taken in her/their names, then perhaps I would do the human thing and feel bad. As a Kenyan, I feel nothing. This theater is absurd.”

I believe it is important to note the political actions Queen Elizabeth participated in or stood behind during her reign and the impact those policies had on people around the world. Those affected by such actions are certainly justified in their critique of her time as monarch.

There are many other dissenters of Queen Elizabeth, not because of her policies, but rather due to drama within the royal family during her reign. The most major conflict that comes to mind is that of Princess Diana, King Charles III’s first wife and mother to Prince William and Prince Harry. Diana captivated hearts around the world with her glamor, her grace and — perhaps most notably — her activism. It is no secret that Diana’s time as a member of the royal family was not easy. Documentaries, films and television series alike tell the story of her difficult marriage and the emotional struggle that accompanied her experience. Many people claim that Diana and the Queen had a rocky relationship throughout that time. Numerous conspiracy theories circulated around this situation since Diana’s untimely death in 1997, causing much of the public, including many Americans, to be suspicious of the Queen and her possible involvement in Princess Diana’s death.

Some glorify the Queen as a celebrity and hold her in the same regard and fascination as many people hold celebrities such as the Kardashians. Many other younger people on social media jumped on the scene creating memes. Some took to the internet to share her many flaws as a monarch.

I think that in some form all of these reactions are valid. It is okay to be interested in the royal family and perhaps inspired by certain members thereof. It is okay to find humor in a situation that, despite the Queen’s age, almost seemed like it would never come, and, of course, it is not only okay, but important to acknowledge the wrongs committed by this monarch and how that affected others.

The range of reactions and endless chatter on the internet involving the Queen leads to one conclusion: she was human, just like any of us. Yes, she was royalty, she was wealthy beyond imagination and she held a certain degree of power and influence over the world, but at some point we must separate the all-powerful monarch from the woman who recently passed, leaving behind family members and loved ones who will mourn her for months to come. It is so easy to dehumanize people on the internet. That dehumanization can be very harmful, and we must learn to acknowledge both her celebrity and her humanity.