After the Crown Falls: Britain’s Great Royalist Amnesia
When the monarchy is abolished and the royal archives are truly opened (and that’s a massive if, considering how tightly they’re controlled), Britain could face a kind of collective reckoning it’s never had before. Here’s how it might unfold—and yes, it could mirror that strange post-regime amnesia seen in Germany after 1945.
9/21/20251 min read
1. The Great Royalist Disappearance
Once the crown is gone and its scandals—historic and modern—are exposed, many people who once waved flags and queued for jubilees will suddenly claim to have been indifferent, skeptical, or even quietly republican all along.
"I only liked the Queen, really."
"It was just tradition, I didn’t take it seriously."
"I thought they were a bit outdated, to be honest."
The same media that once breathlessly covered royal weddings may begin publishing “investigative” takedowns, pretending it was neutral all along.
2. A Cultural Hangover
Britain has built so much of its identity on monarchy—its global image, its tourist branding, its tabloid culture—that removing it could create a national identity vacuum. Expect confusion, existential commentary, and lots of “what does it mean to be British now?” hot takes. The Empire’s ghost would loom even larger in that void.
3. Archive Revelations = National Shock
Imagine headlines exposing:
- How much royal wealth came directly from colonial theft
- The full extent of Queen’s Consent interference in legislation
- Correspondence with brutal regimes or shady political figures
- Internal records on royal attitudes toward independence movements
It would be like the Panama Papers meets post-colonial truth commission. The public response would range from outrage to denial to exhaustion. And the right-wing press would go into damage control.
4. The Rise of “Reformist Nostalgia”
Some people won’t mourn the monarchy itself but will long for the "dignity" or "stability" they associate with it. Expect a rise in revisionist monarchy nostalgia, where pundits argue that "some traditions held the country together." It’ll be revisionist, sentimental, and designed to blur lines between cultural nationalism and actual power structures.
5. New Heroes, New Myths
There’ll be a rush to claim the moral high ground. Some politicians, celebs, and influencers will retroactively declare themselves lifelong republicans. Social media will dredge up old tweets. New symbols will emerge—maybe a written constitution, maybe memorials to victims of empire, maybe just The Big Tell-All Documentary.
And then… the silence will break. Comedy, satire, punk spirit will thrive. Think post-Watergate America, but with more tea and sharper irony.