The start of her reign was marked by optimism and progress. But the monarchy has now been weaponised by the right
The Elizabethan age is slowly drawing to a close. The end of Prince Philip’s long life is a dress rehearsal for its final curtain, when the country will find itself reviewing what it has become, the choices it has made.
Celebrate her era’s social freedoms in gay rights, divorce and abortion, and at least an alertness to race and sex discrimination. But take note too of the decline in social mobility. The crown is emblematic of growing class rigidity: her subjects are more unequal and less likely to rise above their birth status than when the Queen ascended the throne.
