“I’m not a royalist, but…”

Why you’re hearing this phrase a lot right now

“I’m not a royalist, but…”

I’ve seen that phrase a lot from fellow countrymen in the last couple of days. Much like the infamous declaration “I’m not a racist but…” preceding a deeply racist statement, there seems to be an overriding sentiment amongst those asked for — or just offering — comment on the death of Elizabeth Windsor that they must not be seen to condone the monarchy while simultaneously expressing a deep affection for its most prominent member. As a phrase though, it seems to encapsulate everything about the modern monarchy, its rebranding and the deeply conflicted nature of England’s relationship with itself.

The death of Elizabeth Windsor has been met with a wave of hysterical public grief and a coordinated self-serving meltdown from the British Establishment not seen since the death of Diana Spencer in 1997, matched only by the wave of celebration for the demise of a colonialist figurehead whose very robes are drenched in the blood of invaded nations. There really can’t be an in-between. The moment it was reported that doctors were ‘concerned for the Queen’s health’ and family began to fly in on their private jets to be ‘at her side’, we all knew what it meant and most us braced for the madness that is now following. Many are the memes and tweets explaining, in depth, the legacy of imperial oppression she leaves behind, unmended and untouched, and the truly disgusting wealth the monarchy has harvested from foreign nations (or ‘territories’ as Charles put it in his first speech upon succession) it continues to proudly flaunt in televised pronouncements, yet these are mainly on social media, shared via text or simply spoken amongst friends. Despite this being a huge percentage of opinion in private there is an equally large percentage who have openly and unironically expressed their real sadness, not least in the mainstream media. Lavish editions of the British press coat their front pages in sumptuous images of Elizabeth Windsor from her coronation to Jubilee, while a BBC News presenter stated that discussions of the devastating financial crisis the country is currently drowning in is “insignificant now” while the whole of British broadcasting and media organisations have cancelled their entire schedule for the month to better suit a…