A campaign group fighting for the abolition of the monarchy has plastered dozens of billboards around the country urging Brits to “Make Elizabeth the Last”.
Republic, a group calling for the end of the British monarchy, has raised more than £43,000 on Crowdfunder for the billboards, which have gone up in UK cities including Aberdeen, Glasgow, Newcastle, Leeds, Liverpool, London, Bristol and Birmingham.
The red posters read ‘Make Elizabeth the Last’ in a big white font, with the hashtag #AbolishTheMonarch below in a smaller typeface. Below the writing are the faces of Prince Andrew, Prince William and Prince Charles.
Republic first introduced the posters in late July last year, though the campaigning appears to have intensified over recent weeks in the lead up to the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.
On its funding page, the group wrote: “As we approach the end of the Queen’s reign the country needs an honest, grown-up debate about the monarchy.
“We need to stop and ask ourselves: Can't we just choose our next head of state?
“With polls showing young people wanting an elected head of state, the succession of King Charles will be a major turning point in the monarchy's history and in the growth of Britain's republican movement.
“It's time to make Elizabeth the Last.”
While the group’s claims of young people’s desires for an elected head of state are supported by the results from YouGov’s 2021 survey on the issue, a 2022 survey that more simply asks whether “we should keep the monarchy, or abolish it?” shows all age groups of surveyed Brits over the age of 25 were overwhelmingly in favour of keeping the monarchy.
52 per cent of the 25-49-year-old age group thought the monarchy should stay, while 65 per cent of the 50-65-year-old age group and 79 per cent of the 65 + age group also thought the institution should be upheld.
The results came from a sample size of 1754 adults surveyed between April 30th and May 2nd.
As well as erecting billboards to make their case, Republic was selling an array of anti-monarchy merchandise on its website, including an ‘Abolish the Monarch’ mug and a ‘Not celebrating the Jubilee’ cotton baby bodysuit.
Priced at £16.50, the bodysuit read: “I do not wish to participate in a pageant that celebrates a monarchical regime based on a hierarchy, deference and inherited wealth, status and power.
The line was a quote from a recent opinion piece penned by Human Rights and LGBTI campaigner Peter Tatchell.
Republic’s fundraising page went on to claim that the “Queen is the monarchy” and the “monarchy is the Queen”.
“King Charles may inherit the throne, but he won't inherit the respect and deference enjoyed by his mother.”
The group claimed it wanted to “kick-start a major national debate about the future of the monarchy, with a series of striking billboards placed up and down the country.
“We need to challenge myths about the cost of the royals, the role of the head of state, the role of the royals in the Commonwealth. And we need to show the country there is a simple, democratic alternative to the monarchy.”
The billboards saw mixed reviews when publicised by Republic on the group’s Twitter account, drawing praise from fellow anti-monarchists and drawing ire from others.
“Great billboard Republicans.
“Keep fighting the good fight,” one user commented.
“I’ve donated enough to that bunch of scroungers. We can’t afford them!” another person tweeted in response.
The royalists came back swinging, with one user commenting: "God save the Queen.
"No money from me for your crowdfunding."
Another said: "You could have put that £40,000 to good use. Instead, you’ve squandered it."
Several people also took issue with the timing of Republic’s campaign, claiming: “we have more pressing issues at the moment”.
“Like getting the Tories Out of our democracy. At least the royals didn't lie to us to destroy our communities, take away our freedom of movement and empoverish the country,” they said.
However, the group hit back at one Tweeter asking “With all the problems the world has at the moment, this is the one you want to fix?” by asking whether we should only be tackling one issue at a time.
“Do you think all the problems in the world should take a ticket and wait in line?
“Or are we a free society where people can tackle all the problems at the same time?” Republic wrote back.
“The state of our democracy is a serious root cause of a lot of other problems, this is part of the solution.”
The debate online comes as the country looks ahead to the Queen’s Jubilee - celebrating 70 years of the monarch’s reign.
The Jubilee be marked by a four-day bank holiday starting on Thursday.
