London (AFP)
Queen Elizabeth II’s deceased husband, Prince Philip, shared opinions among young British people, who were less likely to view his legacy and the monarchy in general positively.
“You could call him Marmite,” said 22-year-old James Casey, referring to the tough, brown, yeast-based foods known for its ‘love it or hate it’ flavor in Britain.
“Some people loved him, and others did not like him at all,” he told AFP.
Megan Stevens, a 22-year-old student, said she was ‘sad’ and ‘quite shocked’ about the death of Philip last Friday, aged 99.
The Duke of Edinburgh, as he was also known, was to her a ‘figure you learned when you grew up in school’.
Philip would have turned 100 in June. He had been married to the queen for 73 years and had been an almost constant presence on her side since she began her record period in 1952.
“He was a familiar figure to young people. A real beacon departure,” said Isabelle Riviere, a French royal expert.
She attributes his special interest in young people to his own ‘difficult childhood’, as a Greek prince born in exile who transported much of his childhood through Europe.
“After I followed him a lot on his travels, it was my attention he gave to young people, the crazy time he spent with them,” Riviere said.
His Duke of Edinburgh’s Award scheme is a popular international program that recognizes the achievements of young people in areas such as orienteering, volunteering and sport.
About 6.7 million young people in the UK have taken part since it was launched in 1956.
Several messages left outside Windsor Castle, where Philip’s funeral will take place on Saturday, praised the scheme’s impact.
Penny Junor, a royal expert, said the scheme meant there was a “wonderful response from the young people to his death”.
– ‘Foreign institution’ –
However, the television coverage of Philip’s death was a hit for many British people. The ratings have dropped and the BBC has received a lot of complaints that it is going overboard.
Statistically, young people were least likely to be supporters of the prince.
“If we look at the population as a whole, you will see more people than they do not have a positive opinion of Prince Philip (58 percent),” said Eir Nolsoe, an analyst at Yougov, referring to a poll of February, two months before. his death.
But those between 18 and 24 years old were more likely to have a negative opinion (37 percent) of Prince Philip than a positive opinion (31 percent), she added.
“In general, young people are not really interested in the monarchy,” Junor said, while Riviere agreed that Philip might be irrelevant to them.
“Philip was a very old man who could seem a bit remote from their universe to some young people,” she said.
His outspoken personality and tendency to make jokes with racist or sexist speeches also alienated many.
“I think it symbolizes unity for some people, for others it symbolizes much worse things in terms of our past, like colonization and things like that,” 23-year-old Matt Wood said.
He said he regarded the royals as a ‘strange institution’ and ‘really’ old school ‘.
“If we did not have a monarchy tomorrow, I would not lose any sleep over it.”
A March poll by YouGov found that although 63 per cent of the British population support the monarchy, only 37 per cent of those aged 18-24 want it to continue.
A total of 42 percent in this age group prefer an elected head of state.
– ‘Reality program’ –
“Although the monarchy has modernized a lot during the decades of the Queen’s government, there is still a 95-year-old woman at the helm,” Junor said.
“Young people necessarily find it old-fashioned.”
Riviere also acknowledged that the ‘splendor and traditions’ of the monarchy ‘may seem a bit outdated to the younger generation’.
Princess Harry and his wife, Meghan,’s granddaughter of the Queen’s grandson, who arose from accusations of royal racism, also saw opinions differ in age.
The couple has gained the strongest support among younger British people and Harry is the most popular royal among the 18-25 age group.
“The younger people tend to align themselves with Harry and Megan and are more opposed to the royal family,” Nolsoe said.
Adam Yours, a 22-year-old Londoner, says he has no specific position on the friction of the royal family, but finds it “quite entertaining”.
“To be honest, it’s almost like a reality TV show.”
© 2021 AFP