I am not a monarchist and neither is Jeremy Corbin, the leader of the Opposition Labour Party, and many other British people. I believe that heads of state should be elected. I hasten to add that if elections were held in Britain for head of state, Queen Elizabeth would win hands down. Not being British, my views are of little consequence.
Guyana has had a sympathetic view of the British Monarchy which is long, enduring and remains alive. We were indoctrinated into loyalty and support for the Monarchy during 150 years as a colony. The Queen is head of the Commonwealth, of which Guyana has been a member since Independence, and soon Prince Charles will be the Head. In recent years Queen Elizabeth and members of the Royal Family, including Prince Charles, Prince Andrew on a private visit and Prince Harry, have visited Guyana. So, like probably many Guyanese, I watched the spectacular wedding ceremony on TV yesterday.
The entry of Princess Diana into the Royal Family by her marriage to Prince Charles in 1981 added a dash of glitter and glamour to an otherwise conservative, reserved, unsmiling, emotionless operation, enormously wealthy and living in stratospheric isolation, referred to by its members as the ‘firm.’ This was how it sought to preserve its ‘mystique’ and longevity. Princess Diana’s life modified all that. The causes she embraced, both before and after her acrimonious divorce from Prince Charles in1996, catapulted her into international popularity. She shook hands with AIDS victims and highlighted the dangers of land mines. Her iconic life and tragic death, immediately after baptized by former Prime Minister Tony Blair as the ‘Peoples’ Princess,’ was followed by much criticism of the Royal family and the way they treated Princess Diana in life. The changes have culminated in the acceptance of Meghan Markle.
