14 Royally Messed Up Facts About the British Monarchy

In 1913, the British Empire commanded 23% of the world’s population. Under British imperialism, millions of innocent people died. The British monarchy has a sordid and violent past. With the death of Queen Elizabeth II, we take a look back to reflect on her legacy and the legacy of the British monarchy. We didn’t know her as an individual, we knew her as a figurehead so we have to examine her legacy as such. She was reigning during several British atrocities including the Malayan Emergency where over 3,000 civilians died, the repression of the Mau Mau rebellion where over 100,000 people were in detention camps, the British secretly funding a war in Yemen, and Bloody Sunday when Irish protesters were murdered. And even though a (mostly) representational figurehead during this time, she still stood for British Empire. In the same way, Joe Camel might be a likable character, but he still helped to sell and humanize a dangerous product.

Also, come on, did we learn nothing from our Founding Fathers or even Hamilton? Overthrow the monarchy! Throw tea in the ocean! Powder your hair! Here are 14 facts about the British monarchy that might have you quoting a certain Chumbawumba song.