It’s time to run the jewels.
That was my first thought after I visited the British Museum, home to an astounding collection of “stolen goods”—brilliant cultural artifacts plundered from former colonies of the British empire. That thought returned last week after I learned of the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, may she rest in peace.
Being the son of Pakistani immigrants, whose ancestors endured British colonialism, you can’t blame me for praying that the British would opt for a Brexit from the monarchy. It’s well past time to cast off an imperial institution that masks its brutal, murderous past in bedazzling treasures stolen from Black and brown people across the world.
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I won’t be holding my breath, though.
The “problematic” history of British imperialism (the understatement of the year), explains in part why so many people of color like me were similarly nonplussed on social media after learning of Queen Elizabeth’s death.
I tweeted: “May the Queen rest in peace, and now let the monarchy die.”
Many Americans (self-deputized as Twitter police) came out to defend the honor of a queen who is the figurehead of our former oppressors, wagging their fingers at me and others for being disrespectful. Some of my own followers said they were “disappointed.” Others chimed in that any critical statement was “too soon” and in poor taste.
Well, let me tell you, racism and imperialism are far more sour and dank. Economic Freedom Fighters, a South African political party, thought it was the right time to remember the queen as a “head of an institution built up, sustained and living off a brutal legacy of dehumanization of millions of people across the world.” The queen’s death somehow managed to unite both Black and Irish Twitter, and the latter came in with hot fire and openly celebrated by posting tap-dancing videos. It seems that formerly colonized people have long memories, and ferocious online responses.
However, I do believe it is possible to acknowledge the passing of the queen and her extraordinary life, while also reckoning with her role as the ambassador and legacy of a rancid institution. In the 21st century, we should ask more from a royal family that refuses to acknowledge or answer for its many imperialist crimes while still basking in its spoils. The royal family’s worth is estimated to be $88 billion as of 2017, and the queen was allegedly worth $500 million. Where did all the money come from, I wonder?
We know the 106-karat “Koh-i-noor” diamond, which still sits in the Queen Mother’s crown, was originally stolen from India. The British Museum refuses to give back the Parthenon Marbles to Greece that were stolen by Lord Elgin in 1801. A report commissioned by French President Emmanuel Macron concluded that 90 percent of African cultural property resides in European museums, and Macron believes much of it should be returned.
Yet people of color are often told by some of the most racist people on Earth to “get over” such historical crimes—even as they fight to maintain statues of dead white slavers and imperialists. For such people, it’s easier to create a halcyon portrait of a benevolent past to escape culpability. If you whitewash history, you don’t have to deal with the present and confront the institutional racism and inequities that are directly connected to the abuses of empire and white supremacy. And you certainly don’t have to deal with reparations and restitution.
Take MAGA youth recruiter Charlie Kirk, who called England the “most benign global empire ever.” Meanwhile, over at Fox, Tucker Carlson praised the British Empire as being an “impressive place run by impressive people” and for helping to spread Protestant Christianity. Apparently, Christian nationalists and right-wing authoritarians who consider themselves American patriots can make excellent bedfellows with British imperialists—whom the founders rebelled against to create the United States of America. White supremacy has a way of bringing bigots together.
Queen Elizabeth II after her coronation in 1952 and the Crown Jewels. The Koh-I-noor diamond, stolen from India, sits on the crown while the Star of Africa, the largest clear-cut diamond in the world, is featured in the Royal Sceptre.
Photo Composite by The Daily Beast/GettyThey’ll participate in all these hypocritical mental gymnastics, but they'll refuse to engage with uncomfortable history that confronts the British Empire’s role in the Boer concentration camps, its crackdown on Kenyans during the Mau Mau uprising, the bloodletting at the Amritsar massacre, and the empire’s role in the starvation and death of millions of Indians as Britain exported India’s wheat back home during a famine.
We—the direct descendants of the British Empire’s rape and pillaging—are supposed to get over it, even as the past slaps us in the present.
When Prince Charles ascended to the throne as King Charles III at the age of 73, the coronation ceremony included the Sovereign Scepter and the Imperial State Crown—both of which feature a cut from the largest diamond ever found, originally discovered in South Africa in 1905. Some of the coldest gangsters of all time have come from royal blood.
A close-up of the Queen Mother’s coffin, the wreath of white flowers, and the Queen Mother’s coronation crown with the priceless Koh-I-Noor diamond.
Corbis via GettyBut King Charles has a chance to learn from his mother’s mistakes and forge a new path that will usher in healing, reconciliation, and truly reflect “benevolent” leadership.
First, he should acknowledge and apologize for the British Empire’s role in the bloodshed, death, and ruination of so many indigenous people and the ugly history of colonization that continues to stain the present. President Joe Biden’s recent confrontation and denouncement of the “poison” of white supremacy was a powerful example of a leader giving witness to a painful truth that was often buried and erased through jingoistic nostalgia.
Second, the new king should take a cue from President Macron and return his country’s ill-gotten treasures. On behalf of South Asians, I can confidently say Indians would really like the Koh-i-noor returned to the motherland. In August, another British museum said it will return 72 stolen artifacts to Nigeria. It’s a start.
Third, Charles III should use the royal family’s immense wealth (which is still not transparent to the public) and use it for reparations—starting with the descendants of Africans who were enslaved by the royal family. Considering Charles has amassed a billion-dollar business through royal wealth and off-shore accounts, he could easily help Pakistan, which was once part of the Indian subcontinent, and is currently experiencing devastating floods that have submerged a third of the country under water.
Fourth, in order to prove that they are “very much not a racist family,” as King Charles’ son, Prince William, has claimed, people of color around the world would like to see Meghan Markle given love, respect, and honor—and treated with dignity—just like the very white Kate Middleton.
Finally, Charles should call for the abolishment of the monarchy.
Don’t worry—countless Netflix series, docudramas, and books will continue being written about these ancient British figures, and they’ll still make money. But it’s time to end the ridiculous pomp and pageantry. Pour out the alcohol on the outdated institution that built itself on the bones, blood, and ruin of so many nations and people still struggling for economic freedom, dignity, and empowerment. Donate all the money and go start a podcast or become a philanthropist or golf. Any and all of the above options will suffice.
If not, don’t be angry or shocked if the rest of us still want to run the jewels.
