Clara Barros/Staff Writer
I did not watch Prince Harry’s and Meghan Markle’s wedding last Saturday, May 19. But it seems that I was an exception: in my Facebook news feed, there were more people crying over the multi-million dollar ceremony than with the Texas school shooting that occurred the day before.
It seems that, as soon as they dangle some pretty flowers, sparkling champagne, and six-digit shiny jewelry before our eyes, we forget all our history classes.
Since putting it in a softer way would automatically be an understatement, I must say it bluntly: the Royal Family of Britain is a politically obsolete, economically unproductive, morally obscene class.
Their wealth comes from exploitation, colonization, and slavery.
Why is it “politically obsolete”? The royal family is a Medieval institution whose political power has decreased to a tenth of what it used to be.
After the 1689 Bill of Rights, the Queen lost almost all decisional capacity. But even what is left of her power — called the “royal prerogative” — has become no more than a formality.
For example, the Queen must approve bills before they become laws. In theory, she can veto what comes from the parliament. In practice? Last time that happened was in 1708.
The Queen also has the military under her command and, in theory, can order a military offensive anytime. In practice, State officials handle all security affairs. The British “Highness” has, today, a decorative function more than anything else.
Why is the royal family “economically unproductive”? Well, that one is pretty self-evident — they don’t produce anything. They do not contribute to society. They instead consume what has been produced by others.
“Oh, but they make donations and help the poor,” some might say. Here’s where the “morally obscene class” part comes in.
No matter how much they donate, we must remember where all that wealth comes from.
Starting in 16th century, the British empire expanded and colonized the globe. At its peak, it ruled virtually about one quarter of the world population.
The British empire profited from the slave trade, with their first major source of wealth being the sugar plantation system in various Caribbean islands.
After they were done with North America, the British swallowed Australia and New Zealand, eventually moving to Asian countries, such as Hong Kong, Singapore, and Malaysia.
The list is infinite, yes. But their most important asset became India.
Through the British East India Company — considered by some the world’s first multinational corporation — the UK sucked the blood out of India, forcing India into becoming a major importer of British goods.
That’s where the Queen’s money comes from, and yet no one acknowledges these historical points when it comes to British royal family.
It’s perhaps the idea of marrying a handsome prince and becoming part of the so-called royalty that makes everyone forget about past deeds that make the British royal family…well, not so great.
In addition, the idea that Meghan Markle’s black ancestry is a representation of “progress” is extremely naive, for all the same reasons I previously mentioned.
Markle’s entrance in the royalty does not help people of color around the world in the slightest.
The very opposite is true, I would say. Let’s take a look at what history tells us.
After the collapse of the Company in the 19th century, the British royalty engaged in the imperialistic endeavor of Africa. Disputing with other European powers in what was termed “the scramble for Africa,” Britain became the ruler of around 20 African countries.
Because of this, Markle’s entrance into royalty does not represent progress in any way. Instead, it effectively represents a compromise with the people who devastated the ancestors of people like her own mother.
The same applies to Markle’s “feminist” stances.
Let us try and ask if Lybian, Afghan, Ghanaian, or Ugandan women feel empowered by the newest member of their colonist’s family. This is what we should remember before tearing up when we see Prince Harry whispering “I love you” to his bride.
We call it royalty, but the proper name is theft.
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The opinions presented within this page do not represent the views of Panther Press Editorial Board. These views are separate from editorials and reflect individual perspectives of contributing writers and/or members of the University community.
Featured photo taken from The Royal Family Twitter.
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