One Last Unexpected Lesson From the Life and Death of Queen Elizabeth II?

Excerpt

The death of the British sovereign, the longest serving head of state in history as far as we know, commanded global media attention for many days, and paralysed the United Kingdom for at least a fortnight. Profound admiration was expressed for her unswerving commitment to serve “be her life short or long” her country and a commonwealth of nations. Whatever the views about the monarchy, either for the United Kingdom or other commonwealth countries who still have it as their head of state, the moral authority accrued is clear and almost universally admired. Although it was hard to think differently, still less express it (see the recently deceased Ian Jack in Granta after Diana’s death; “Those Who Thought Differently”) (Jack and Marlow 1997), it does seem odd, and poor timing too, to question the monarchy as an institution based on the death of a worthy individual, and very unfair to the successor. There are surely better arguments for a republic, but this is a bioethics journal, not primarily a political one. …