Queen Elizabeth gained the crown in 1952 at age 25. She has been ruling for sixty-seven years, making her the longest-reigning British monarch ever.
As tension in the royal family builds with Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, giving up their royal titles, one question remains — what’s the point of the royal family? The concept of a royal family is old-fashioned and unnecessary. The government can run without it, and its existence perpetuates an idea of who is worthy of respect.
Harry and Meghan announced on Jan. 8 that they were going to “step back as ‘senior’ members of the royal family and work to become financially independent, while continuing to fully support Her Majesty The Queen," according to their website and official Instagram account. Queen Elizabeth decided on a “period of transition” and it was announced on Saturday that the couple is giving up their royal titles and public funding.
It was a good idea for Harry and Meghan to renounce their titles.
They now have the freedom to live life as they choose, a freedom that was much needed after the immense racism Meghan experienced since her and Harry’s relationship was made public.
Meghan is a black woman. Her race is the only factor that necessitates the creation of hateful narratives.
Meghan was scrutinized for touching her baby bump while pregnant. Countless articles shamed her and pondered how she could do such a horrible thing.
There are plenty of photos of the Duchess of Cambridge doing the same thing, but of course reactions to this were positive.
The United Kingdom’s media has been incredibly disgusting and blatantly racisttoward Meghan. She has been shamed for putting her hands in her pockets. She was ridiculed for eating an avocado last year because of its connections to abuse and drought in avocado-producing countries, while the Duchess of Cambridge was portrayed as sweet when she ate an avocado in 2017.
Essentially, Meghan could not breathe without being degraded in some way.
Harry’s mother, Princess Diana died in a car crash in 1997 at age 36 after being chased by paparazzi. The immense public attention created by being part of the royal family caused the princess of Wales' untimely death.
Not only does the existence of the royal family perpetuate outdated ideas, but the government could survive without them.
The U.K. has a prime minister who leads the government with support from the cabinet and ministries. The prime minister is in charge of policies and any issue concerning the government. Buckingham Palace has described the queen as “politically neutral” so she could not have much power over politics.
The primary role of Queen Elizabeth is to be a figurehead. According to Independent, those events include throwing events for heads of state, taking diplomatic trips, throwing parties at palaces and opening new sessions of Parliament.
She is also responsible for approving bills before they're signed into law, though she rarely refuses them. The queen also presents various honors to people within England.
Besides looking pretty, releasing family photos like they are top secret and wearing overly large hats, the royal family also supports the Queen through carrying out engagements.
They represent the queen in both national and international festivities and meet with leaders around the world.
They are not not essential for the county to run.
They should smile and wave their way out of power.
Jaclyn Ferguson (she/her) is a junior studying journalism and African American studies. She plans to pursue a career advocating for the underrepresented through journalism.
