A Twitter user unpacked why the mourning period for the Queen has actually made him less supportive of the monarchy – and the thread has already gone viral.
Russ Jones said his views on royalty were “ambivalent” up until the news of the sovereign’s death hit the headlines.
He explained: “It was a soap opera I didn’t watch.”
Now, however, the response from the government, confirmation of a national mourning period and the non-stop coverage of the royal family appears to have pushed him into a more anti-monarchist stance.
“This mandatory, authoritarian force-feeding is turning me against it strongly,” Jones continued.
He added: “If this was happening in times of plenty, with no urgent crisis facing millions, fine – play at dressing up and worship monarchies all you want.
“But this is not a time of plenty. This is the worst crisis in years, against the background of the worst in human history.”
Jones pointed to all of the luxurious, ceremonious items belonging to the royals, and “one of the most privileged families in human history”, and the arrest of various anti-monarchist protests in recent days.
He noted that “politics is paused” – parliament will not sit until after the Queen’s funeral on Monday, September 19, and then will go on recess again on September 22 for party conferences.
This comes after the parties enjoyed a recess for the entire of summer, despite the worsening cost of living crisis.
He added: “We’ve got tens of millions in the UK facing penury.
“Hundreds of thousands of businesses on the brink of collapse.
“Vulnerable people bracing for a deadly winter. The health services swamped.”
He added that the prime minister has just been appointed by the Conservative Party members only – which works out to around 0.29% of the population.
Charles said: “You wanna start civil unrest? This is a pretty good method.”
He concluded: “It’s sad for the family. But it’s no reason to ignore the MASSIVE crisis overwhelming us all.”
Clearly, his sentiment is shared by many others – his tweet secured more than 18,000 likes in 16 hours.