Congratulations to Polly Toynbee for pointing out that the monarchy embodies a sovereignty that can be and is abused by prime ministers against parliament, that legitimates a feudal system of inherited wealth and privilege, and that promotes a fantasy of national grandeur which had the British people “bravely Brexiteering away from our continent” (For something so hollow, the royal family is astonishingly expensive, 5 April).
There is a further dimension to add: the monarchy headed the British empire and continues to defend colonialist hierarchies abroad and at home. It is no accident that a woman was arrested at a ceremony proclaiming the accession of Charles III for holding up a placard reading “Fuck imperialism, abolish monarchy” (Report, 11 September) and that the non-white Duchess of Sussex is constantly vilified by the rightwing British press.
Robert Gildea
Professor emeritus of modern history, University of Oxford
