‘Subject’, not Citizen

~ beetleypete

It has long fascinated me that people in other countries are so taken with the British Royal Family. They seem to dwell on the death of Lady Diana Spencer, and fawn embarrassingly, should any of them bother to visit their lands. I exclude Quebec, and some of the Antipodean peoples in this generalisation of course, but I think you know what I mean? It would also appear that the Royals are much-loved in their homeland, from news reports, and public attendance at festivities concerning them, or where they are due to appear.

Recent celebrations for both the Jubilee, and Olympics, have shown them, especially the Queen, to be at a height of popularity, not seen since the War. She even appeared in a promotional film, with the current James Bond, which was shown to open the games. I have to admit, that most people I talk to, believe having a Royal Family to be a good thing generally, as they feel that it promotes tourism, and stops us having a ‘Presidential’ government.

However, there are over 62,000,000 people in the British Isles, and many of them, myself included, do not agree.

The current residents of the Royal Households are essentially Germans, of the House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. The name was changed to Windsor, to make it more palatable to the public during the First World War, when Germany was the enemy.  Before this, the Royal Family was also German, from the House of Hanover. Preceding the Germans were the Stuarts, who were Scottish. Save for a short gap, after The English Civil War, those Scots ruled this country for 111 years. Prior to Scottish rule, there was Welsh rule, by the Tudors, and during the period between 1066, and the Welsh arrival in 1485, The French, specifically Norman French.

So, we can see that there has not been a ‘British’ ruler since at least 1066. Even before this date, in darker times less documented, we can be sure that many of those claiming to be the Kings of Britain, were in fact, Danish, German, or Norwegian. How many excited youngsters, waving Union Jacks along The Mall, would be aware of this, I wonder? And how many would care anyway? I know that I do. I do not agree with the concept of rule by birth, or by right, let alone what is, to my eyes at least, a foreign occupation, unchecked and unopposed, for over a thousand years.

What are Kings and Queens anyway? Go back far enough, and you will find that they are from families that had bigger gangs, better weapons, and were not afraid to kill anyone to gain power. Living in those days must have been a bit like living in Chicago in the 1920’s, or in modern countries like Rwanda, or Somalia. Large, well-armed gangs took your land, your animals, and in some cases, your families too.

They then told you that they would be your King (or Queen) and look after you, as long as you played along with them, fought in their army, and worked on their lands. They gave away bits of land and money to their friends, and called them Dukes, or Earls, and told the people that they had to do what they told them to, as well as follow the King’s orders. It was a protection racket, on a national scale. The only losers were the ordinary people.

Here I am, a millennium later. A woman calling herself Queen Elizabeth ll is on the throne; a German married to a Greek, and I am her subject, whether I like it or not. Well Mrs Windsor, ( or should that be Mrs Edinburgh? I’m never sure.) I do not like it, and I do not recognise your right to rule me, or anyone else in the UK, just because your dusty old ancestors married into money, and had a big, well-armed group of followers.

I have no respect for your in-bred family, or their dress-hanger wives, your cousins, and aunts and uncles, all leeching off society, like so many useless parasites. If we need you for tourism, then why do so many people visit Paris, Rome, or Florida? If we need you to justify pomp and circumstance, then you have never seen the annual parades along the Champs-Elysees. If we need you for History, then you have never seen The Coliseum. Presidential rule? At least we could vote them out every four years. If I could choose between you, and Obama, I know who gets my vote.

We don’t need you at all do we? It is all a massive bluff. You and your clan have pulled it off, got away with it for countless generations, and we are just mugs, providing you with protection, money, houses, transport, and treasures. The successive Governments, the Civil Service, the institutions, all propping you up to save their own skins, and keep their jobs safe, while millions who know no better, wave flags outside empty palaces. It breaks my heart.

I will not be a Subject, with all that the title suggests. I will be a citizen though, and a Republican one at that.

42 thoughts on “‘Subject’, not Citizen”

  1. Oh yes, you are occupied by Germans, Pete! LoL Honestly, wherelse than in Germany nobiles could be honored and paid till now? Incidentally, the House of Hanover is still “in the game”. Have a look where all our ruling politicans come from, and dont forget our former chancellor (the one now dealing with Russia ;-)) has changed the rules of independend citizens to a kind of serfs (labor policy measures). Sometimes I think that only France had made a real cut into modern times. 😉 xx Michael

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  3. I think rather than being a capital R Republican, you might fare better with a small d democrat as Representational (which is what republican means) government has not turned out quite as well as advertised, here or there. Warmest regards, Theo

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  4. “If I could choose between you, and Obama, I know who gets my vote.”
    “I will not be a Subject, with all that the title suggests. I will be a citizen though, and a Republican one at that.”
    Except that Obama was a Democrat, not a Republican. And, in my opinion, given the choice in 2012, you would have been better off, at least for a while, with the Royals.
    But it’s an informative article, and I agree with it overall.

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    1. Thanks, David. If I was an American, I would not vote Republican. It is not the same thing as the ‘word’. In truth, there is no current party in America that I could vote for, in all conscience.
      Best wishes, Pete.

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    1. In 1977, during the Silver Jubilee celebrations, I was wearing a large metal badge with ‘Stuff The Jubilee’ written above a photo of the smirking Queen. I think that answers your question. 🙂 🙂
      Cheers, Pete.

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  6. Ten years on Pete, and it’s like the movie “Groundhog Day”. And like ten years ago, your words are spot-on 🎯.

    Like you, I have been self-ed-u-ma-cated on the creation of governing bodies globally throughout history and agree 100% with your well written conclusions.

    I have promoted the idea of “Vote Them All Out” every election, period: “Thanks sooo very much for your service. Now, go home and give someone else a turn”.

    I knew there was something deep within you that I liked 🤗👍👏 You would fit right in here In the wild west of Arizona 🤠. ✈️ We’ll keep a light on. 😘

    Cheers and thanks for the wonderful repost.

    CT

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      1. It’s never too late Pete. And, apparently, if you visit Mexico 1st? You can just “Walk right in! Then they’ll put you on a plane or bus to a destination of your choosing. Man. . . Doesn’t get better than that! GRRRRR 😦

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  7. I’ve met Charles and he was very gracious with a sense of humour. I’m in the minority here, I love the Royal Family and the traditions and pomp and circumstance and the links back through history. In fact, the royals and the castles and old architecture are the only things I like about Britain.

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    1. That’s fine, Lucinda. You would not be in the minority in Britain, that’s for sure. But I cannot get past how they accrued their vast wealth in the past, and how much Elizabeth still has. By the last estimate in 2020, it was around £500,000,000. That’s ‘personal wealth’, in a country where the minimum wage is less than £9 an hour.
      I have been ‘presented’ to the Queen. Before that happened, we were told specifically what not to say, and not to ask her any questions. So much for a ‘Monarch of The People’.
      Best wishes, Pete.

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  8. Andrew has brought the Royal Family into disrepute . Charles is an adulterer, but I do have respect for Queen Elizabeth. She has given her life to service and has remained scandal-free. Princess Anne and Prince William also work hard, but the others don’t seem to have any special role apart from waving and smiling.

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  10. A very interesting post, Pete! Your context is very applicable, if you ask me. Being American there is always a fond historical link to Britain, if for nothing else than we can understand what each other is saying without needing advance college… the Churchill reference. But yes.. Americans generally love the Royals because of the opulence and pomp and circumstance of it all… and any associated sneaky palace intrigue.. especially with sexual liaisons.
    (I did love that James Bond parachuting down with the Queen video; I saved it somewhere on the PC)
    But.. the royals of Europe in general have all been diluted of pure blood over the millennium to cement peace treaties and alliances… or passing conquests). I can see not being a Royalist has an argument.

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  11. Well, Pete, you’re leaning against an open door here, as you know. I feel the same about the royal family here, in Spain, although these are French (and we also had Germans before that). And in recent years they have truly disgraced themselves, although they are not alone. Thanks, Pete. ♥

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  12. Reblogged this on beetleypete and commented:

    I am reblogging this post from 2012, as hardly anyone has seen it. Be warned that it contains very strong opinions about the British Royal Family. If you are a Royalist, you may want to skip reading it. 🙂

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    1. High time we had our own one. After the Civil War here, it seems the people just couldn’t cope without the notion of a King. We don’t seemed to have moved on much, since the 17th century.
      Best wishes, Pete.

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  17. My sentiments exactly. As I write this 9 months after you wrote it, yet another Diana story has hit the headlines, yet another speculation along the lines of ‘was she murdered or was it an accident?’ . When stories like this emerge I always get suspicious. The popular obsession with all things royal is often used to distract attention from things we should be taking notice of.

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    1. Exactly Sue. Whenever a diversion is needed, we are asked to speculate on the colour of the outfit the Queen will wear to the christening, or other such nonsense. What saddens me most, is the fact that so many fall for it, again and again. Regards from Norfolk. Pete.

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  18. One of my Mother’s friends has been a life-long Royal Family enthusiast. A few years ago she actually got to meet the Queen, and said something like “It’s wondersful to actually meet you at last”, to which the reply was – “I speak to you, you don’t speak to me first”. Needless to say, she isn’t quite so keen on the Royals these days.

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  19. Jim, thanks to whatever that I am sure you don’t mean it. I have met her, and she is a sour-faced midget, with a discernible sense of her own (assumed) importance. Cheers mate, Pete.

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