A 🧵 of thoughts after watching the grand spectacle (or tamasha?) of the #Coronation. I can’t help but feel that Britain could really do with better education about how the monarchy works in school & via media reporting! 1/9 This Guardian piece encapsulates the need for greater public understanding/awareness of the workings of the modern monarchy. The focus on royal celebrity melodrama or spectacle blinds us to its practical political & economic impact. 2/9

theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/m…

The last few days since the death of Queen Elizabeth II have felt like a complete whirlwind. As someone who studies the history of monarchy & empire, there's been so much to process intellectually & emotionally. I wanted to share a few thoughts, so here comes a thread... 1/14 Firstly, the conflicted nature of domestic & global reactions to the Queen's death is remarkable. So many overlapping, competing currents of grief, scorn, anger, poignancy & bemusement all jumbled together. Social media means we see & feel it more clearly than ever before. 2/14

As a historian of Victorian royalty, I am fascinated by some of the parallels between #MeghanMarkle’s current situation and the little known story of Princess Gouramma of Coorg. A thread ⬇️ 1/12 The idea that Meghan, as the Duchess of Sussex, is the first person of colour to become a member of the Royal Family is actually a bit misleading. There are arguments that Queen Charlotte (1744-1818) had black ancestry, but what about Queen Victoria’s imperial godchildren? 2/12