National mourning in Great Britain: Please leave me alone with the Queen!

opinion

I already suspected it when the news of his death came: Now everyone is going crazy. And so it was. Cover stories (also with us), program changes, ARD focal points, minutes of silence, collective mourning. Not because the German chancellor was shot. No – because in England (!) an elderly queen died. Of course it’s always sad when someone has to leave. But here a 96-year-old left a fulfilled life peacefully. And we all act here as if a beloved, kind-hearted aunt from a close relative had suddenly and unexpectedly been killed.

Don’t understand the grief for the Queen

Feelings are often irrational. I don’t want to make fun of people mourning the Queen. I can’t understand it. What have we got with these Windsors? This strange, partly broken family? I also enjoyed watching the well done series The Crown. But precisely because the dark sides of the royal family were also discussed there – the mercilessness, self-denial and hubris. Everything is no longer an issue. The Queen is celebrated as a role model, a monument incarnate and a figure of the century of merit. She may have that too.

But she only got the job because she was born with a golden spoon in her mouth. Nobody chose this woman. It derives its legitimacy from the remnants of power from an ancient hereditary monarchy. It dates back to the dark ages when people claimed they were chosen by God to rule over others. The Queen and now the new King Charles are descendants of the rulers of a brutal colonial power that subjugated other countries and peoples. Aspirations for independence were repeatedly and bloodily suppressed by the Empire, such as in Kenya. The Queen has never managed to distance herself from her own colonial history, which has always been her family’s history. That would have been a historic achievement. To say, “My ancestors were guilty. I am ashamed of many things that happened back then.”

colonial history? Sorry, long time ago!

While in Germany we are rightly beginning to clear out our museums in order to return stolen art to the rightful owners in Africa and elsewhere, in England people act as if nothing had happened. So sorry – it’s been a long time.

The wealth of the royal family is also based in large part on businesses related to the slave trade and colonial exploitation. As a royal today, you don’t have to go in sackcloth and ashes. But it should be discussed. Colonial history expert Jürgen Zimmer said in an interview with the Swiss broadcaster SRF that the Queen had had “fifteen prime ministers” to face up to her own colonial history and to transfer some of her assets to a foundation that, for example, supports students from the former colonies could have supported. Instead: polite silence. “She wasn’t,” says Zimmer, “apolitical. She raised neutrality to the art of not stepping on anyone’s toes. That’s a historic failure.” That’s how I see it too.

What is the matter with us? Why is this not an issue? Why do we celebrate the noble operetta rulers of a foreign country like our own kind grandparents who financed our studies? Do we love the Queen and the new King because we have none of our own in service? Are we all secretly horny? Do we even want to be ruled and ruled by royals? Better not if I look at the German blue bloods like that.

Gods from a remote, beautiful world

For many, the Windsors with their strange rituals, all the pomp and constant emphasis on tradition are something like noble celebrities from the colorful leaves. Gods from a remote, beautiful world. Where everything is oddly charged with meaning. “What about the Queen’s dogs?” asked numerous German quality media in all seriousness. Yes, there have always been scandals in the royal family. But they seem like the salt in the lobster bisque. Oh, they’re only human. But in the end it’s very special, really great. Have you seen this dress from Kate? And the new hairstyle. Hammer!

The funeral service for the Queen is now in London. A million visitors are expected. Numerous heads of state and government will also pay their last respects to the Queen. These include Saudi Arabian ruler Mohammed bin Salman, who is still accused of having ordered the murder and dismemberment of journalist Jamal Kashoggi. But that won’t be an issue in London. sorry Unappetizing thing, that. It’s been a while.

And then, as always, there will be polite silence at court.