Could the Queen have done more to make reparations in Canada?
The Queen’s death is complicated. As a friend noted, the Queen could have, and should have, done more to repair and to make reparations.
The fact that the pageantry we are seeing unfold in spite of what many say is a failure to read the room regarding excess when many globally in the Commonwealth are in need of basics like clean water, safe housing, and food security is damning.
I can’t remember when I first learned Canada had a queen. It was probably when I started school, as everyone had a picture of the Queen in the front hall or the assembly room.
When I joined Brownies and later Guides, we promised, as part of the original promise, to do my duty to God, the Queen and country.
The promise has been revised since then; the promise now reads, “I promise to do my best, to be true to myself, my beliefs and Canada, I will take action for a better world, and respect the Guiding Law.”
The Queen and God are gone and the world keeps on turning nonetheless.
I actually didn’t think of the Queen that often unless one of her family made the news. I was fond of her hats, though, as I admire people who can wear a hat with style and panache.
Unlike many people in the last few days, I have no personal Queen stories to share. Truth be told, I became more interested in the person she was while watching the popular series The Crown.
She became queen at the age of 25 but had borne the weight of responsibility for the role when she was 11, after her father became king when his brother abdicated.
Like Queen Victoria, Elizabeth was a long-time ruler while her heirs watched and waited.
The new king is 73. Even if Charles lives as long as his mother, his reign won't be nearly so long, and his son, Prince William, could be in his late 50s or early 60s before his turn comes.
If it does.
We live in a different time and a different age. There’s a lot that is problematic about monarchies.
There’s a lot to challenge about this particular one, a monarchy which made colonization look like an art compared to the marauding Vikings.
The Queen’s death is complicated. As a friend noted, the Queen could have, and should have, done more to repair and to make reparations.
The political and economic climate in the U.K. is tense. Caribbean countries are rejecting their ties to the Crown.
The intergenerational trauma of residential schools we see in Canada is a direct result of colonial attitudes and practices to rid the country of Indigenous peoples.
The Queen is a figurehead, yes. But she had power and influence. She offered stability – a consistent presence that was bound together by duty, reliability and a commitment to service. As another friend said, “she was always there, and now, she is not.”
The Queen, like it or not, behaved like a monarch. She was always aware, perhaps too aware, of propriety, manners and social rules. Can the same be said of her heirs? I don't think so.
There is potential for change. The new king has always been interested in the environment. His sons, particularly Harry, have focused their efforts on children and youth, mental health and, most recently, anti-black racism.
But the power and privilege they have is tied to great wealth. And great wealth, and all the benefits that accrue with it, is not easy to give up.
The fact that the pageantry we are seeing unfold in spite of what many say is a failure to read the room regarding excess when many globally in the Commonwealth are in need of basics like clean water, safe housing, and food security is damning.
Some people are mourning. They had great affections for the Queen. She was a wife, a mother, and a leader.
Others are not mourning. The Queen and the monarchy represent unquestioned privilege and minimal accountability for past actions.
Neither perspective cancels the other out. We can hold space for both.
Years ago in Ireland, I saw a quote: The English don't know their history; the Irish haven't forgotten it.
Nor, I would argue, have any of the former colonies, dominions and members of the Commonwealth.
In fact we could start with the irony of a name like the Commonwealth to describe the last remaining parts of the British Empire because the wealth of those nations was taken to be the wealth of one family.
Still, the Queen’s legacy is profound.
She was an astute political leader whose power lay in the effective management of influence. It will be interesting to see what comes next.