#AbolishTheMonarchy Trends On Twitter After Queen Dissolves Parliament
The past month has not been good for the British royal family, and it appears that it might just have gotten worse. In fact, royal fans are calling the month “August Horribilis,” a pun made out of the Queen’s 1992 phrase, “Annus Horribilis.”
The monarchy first faced serious public relations battles regarding Prince Andrew’s alleged connection with Jeffrey Epstein and then cries of hypocrisy around Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s private jet use. Now, the Queen is suffering backlash from her decision to dissolve parliament. As a result, the hashtag #AbolishTheMonarchy was trending on Twitter, per Celebitchy.
The move that Queen Elizabeth approved is technically called proroguing Parliament. Prime Minister Boris Johnson made the request in order to get more control over the country’s Brexit plans, per The New York Times.
Though British lawmakers still have time to debate and chart their own plan to leave the European Union, it has been cut short by the move, and makes it more likely that Prime Minister Johnson will be able to move forward with his own Brexit plans.
Though many royal fans are disappointed that Queen Elizabeth approved the request, others have claimed that it would have been inappropriate, if not a crisis, for the Queen to have made a political move.
Nonetheless, Twitter users were quick to voice their discontent.
“Of course we should #AbolishTheMonarchy, and not only because the Queen demonstrated today that she serves no meaningful constitutional purpose. For as long as a single one of her subjects sleeps rough on the streets, the Monarch’s unthinkable wealth is an affront to humanity,” wrote one Twitter user.
“If The Queen can’t intervene and stop the shut down of democracy what is the point of paying for her? She is just a showpiece stuck on a pedestal for tourists to look at??? Monarchy are a luxury we can’t afford anymore #AbolishTheMonarchy,” another Twitter user stated.
Prince Andrew: "I'm so sorry. We'd been doing so well lately, PR-wise, but by being mates with a sex offender I've brought our family into the worst disrepute since Diana died. Nobody's made us look this bad for years."
Queen Elizabeth II: "Hold my beer."#abolishthemonarchy
— Simon Price? (@simon_price01) August 28, 2019
The idea of a hereditary Monarchy is an outdated anachronism which isn’t fit for the 21st century.
Is time we elect our Head of State and #AbolishTheMonarchy.
— George Aylett (@GeorgeAylett) August 28, 2019
#AbolishTheMonarchy because we deserve better. The democratic alternative would re balance power between government, MPs and voters and give us an effective head of state as umpire of the system. More about this at https://t.co/yhI6dCkcD4
— Republic (@RepublicStaff) August 29, 2019
Others, however, voiced their support for the Queen.
The Queen has been dragged into a constitutional crisis. #AbolishTheMonarchy has been trending on Twitter. But although constitutional experts have described the PM’s lengthy suspension of Parliament as an affront to democracy, they agree that the Queen had to approve it.
— Richard Palmer (@RoyalReporter) August 28, 2019
Interesting to see #AbolishtheMonarchy trending because the Queen DIDN'T rebuff the advice of a prime minister who enjoys Parliament's confidence. Be curious what hashtag would've emerged had she gone the other way…
— Emmett Macfarlane ?? (@EmmMacfarlane) August 29, 2019
The Queen might not have faced so much criticism had it not been rumored that she was pro-Brexit. Popular tabloid The Sun even ran a front page article with the headline “Queen Backs Brexit,” per The Independent.
However, despite whispers, the monarch has never voiced her thoughts on the matter.
That said, it has been rumored that the younger royals, including Prince Charles and the Sussexes and Cambridges, are pro-EU. Meghan Markle even posted a picture to Instagram of a placard that read “If EU leave me now, you take away the biggest part of me,” per The Express.
However, this happened before she met Prince Harry. Since then, she has not made any public statements, following the Queen’s lead.
