An American historian who once claimed “everyone in Britain” benefited from the slave trade has mocked the UK for “fawning” over the Queen’s death. Dr Brooke Newman, an associate professor at Virginia Commonwealth University, also unearthed a document linking the Royal Family to slavery and criticised the late monarch’s legacy.
She said: “The image of the monarchy, in some ways, is more important than anything, and by all respects, they have failed, especially recently with the treatment of Meghan Markle, the royal tours, the backlash against the Crown.”
Dr Newman liked a tweet on September 8 last year less than 24 hours after Queen Elizabeth II died. The tweet said: “I can’t bear the fawning. It’s degrading.”
Dr Newman, who will soon release The Queen’s Silence: The Hidden History of the British Monarchy & Slavery, also replied: “And revealing.”
The Texas-born academic later worked as a historical consultant for John Oliver’s HBO show on the monarchy in November 2022.
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The Birmingham-born liberal comedian claimed the Firm is “like an appendix – we’ve long evolved past needing them”.
He also joked about them “sitting atop a pile of stolen wealth wearing crowns adorned with other countries’ treasures”.
Dr Newman recently recovered a royal archive document which showed a transfer of £1,000 of shares in the business to King William III from Governor Edward Colston.
Colston’s legacy was brought into question after protesters in Bristol tore down his statue in 2020.
The academic’s discovery has been credited with forcing King Charles III to support an investigation into the Firm’s link to the slave trade.
But MailOnline revealed Dr Newman has criticised the Royal Family for some time.
Describing the Queen after she died, Dr Newman said: “She will be remembered as a stoic and dignified fixture of British life and a symbol of national unity.
“Still, despite her iconic status, the Queen was not universally beloved.
“Head of an ancient institution whose privileges are hereditary, she never acknowledged or apologised for her ancestors’ role in the brutal oppression and enslavement of colonised peoples across the globe.
“Nor did she speak out against the violent acts done in her name during her lifetime.”
She added: “Through seven decades of social and political upheaval, the queen remained a steadfast, seemingly timeless figure; a national symbol of duty, longevity and resilience.
“On the other hand, the monarchy, with its lavish, archaic customs and millennium’s worth of inherited wealth and privilege, often appeared outmoded and even wasteful, particularly during periods of economic crisis and austerity.
“To ensure the institution’s survival, Queen Elizabeth was forced to adapt and, at times, to bend to public pressure.”
Dr Newman has also predicted that Charles’ reign would cover the collapse of the British realms and the Commonwealth.
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