‘I couldn’t care less.’ What some young Britons think of the Queen’s Platinum

But as crowds flock to the capital, some young Britons are actively avoiding the festivities. Many are indifferent to, others irritated by, all the pomp and ceremony for a person and institution they say has no place in their lives. They cite everything from colonialism to the lack of diversity as reasons why they won’t be out in the crowds of royal revelers this weekend.

“I’m sick of it. I’m currently in the middle of packing to go to Italy,” Joss MacDonald told CNN on Tuesday from his home in the London borough of Hackney, where nearly 50 street parties have been organized this weekend.

MacDonald said he would travel to Italy the following day — in time to mark its Republic Day, the June 2 anniversary of the post-World War II referendum that saw the country abolish its monarchy in 1946. MacDonald said it was a “fortuitous coincidence,” which he would take advantage of by joining Italians in their celebrations and partying in the streets of Sicily, before spending the rest of his holiday in the sun with his partner.

MacDonald said that his childhood wasn’t filled with memories of the Queen and his family were far from “royalists.” But his mum is still going to a jubilee gathering on their street, he said, “mostly because it’s a good excuse for a party.”

Like many other young Britons, MacDonald said that the monarchy, whose wealth and power is linked to a legacy of British colonialism, has failed to modernize and is disconnected from today’s multicultural Britain. The 29-year-old ceramicist said he thought the royal family with “its history of militarism and imperialism” was undemocratic and should be abolished — not celebrated in a four-day jubilee holiday across the UK.

“I won’t begrudge people a good time. I think the opportunity to have a big national celebration is great, but it’s such a shame that it has to be for this institution,” he added.

Polling suggests attitudes towards the royal family among young people in Britain have shifted since 2019, the year after Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding — a union which raised hopes that they would reshape the royal family in their own contemporary and inclusive image. Polling by YouGov in 2019 indicated that 46% of 18- to 24-year-olds thought the monarchy should continue, while 26% said the country should have an elected head of state and 28% were unsure.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced in January 2020 that they were “stepping back” from their roles as senior royals and in February 2021 the palace confirmed that they would not be returning as working members of the British royal family. Polling conducted by YouGov from March to May 2021 showed that 31% of 18- to 24-year-olds surveyed said they wanted to see the monarchy continue, while 41% believed that Britain should have an elected head of state and 28% were…

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