In Great Britain there is national mourning. In London, portraits of and memorials to the late monarch are everywhere. Bus stops, shop windows and newspaper front pages are adorned by Queen Elizabeth. Small dogs saunter around with black mourning ribbons in their harnesses and people line up to Buckingham Palace to lay flowers. Advertising posters have been replaced by a portrait of the Queen at a bus stop in London. Photo: Felipe Dana / AP TV and radio broadcasts are replaced by live broadcasts about the queen, the royal house and what happens next. The broadcasts are played on mobile phones, in taxis and inside the holiest of all: the pubs. Inside the Knights Templar, in the middle of central London, the BBC broadcast is broadcast on a big screen. The broadcast is without sound. No one is watching. High above the floor, just below the ceiling, the BBC broadcast is being played in a pub in central London. Photo: Ingrid Emilie Waaler / news Split in grief – I don’t really care, to be honest, Matt Morbin (28) answers questions about how he feels about the British monarchy. – It’s a respectable institution, but not one I’m too keen on, he adds. On brown chairs, he and five colleagues sit at a round table and have a couple of beers after the end of the working day. Matt Morbin (th) and Fred Weller (left) in a pub with colleagues after work. Photo: Ingrid Emilie Waaler / news Matt Morbin (th) and Fred Weller (left) in a pub with colleagues after work. Photo: Ingrid Emilie Waaler / news Of course they talked about the queen. When the news broke, word of mouth spread. But work the next day was almost normal. A YouGov survey from May last year shows the same. Support for the royal family is declining among young Britons aged 18 to 24. The figures show that 41 per cent of the age group believe that Britain should have a popularly elected head of state, while 31 per cent want the monarchy to continue as before. In 2019, a similar survey showed that almost half (46 per cent) supported the monarchy and that 26 per cent wanted a popularly elected leader. YouGov writes that the survey was carried out after Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan were interviewed by Oprah Winfrey. Someone who strongly disagrees with Matt Morbin is friend and colleague Fred Weller (27). He is a monarchist at heart. – I love the royal family. My family has gathered us for a party at every wedding, anniversaries and the like. We hang flags, take out all the decorations we have and mark them properly, he says. Matt Morbin (th) and Fred Weller (left) do not quite agree in their views on the British royal house. Photo: Ingrid Emilie Waaler / news When the 27-year-old was on holiday during the Queen’s 70th anniversary earlier this year, he took a cardboard figure of the Queen with him on the trip. Uncertain about Charles On a table next to him are two men who overhear the talk about the royal house. They are in their 40s and are clear that Queen Elizabeth has been, and will forever be, unique in the history of the monarchy. At the same time, they joke that her son King Charles has no chance to fill the Queen’s shoes. And if the jargon around the tables is to be believed, then the new king will have a bit to grind on. Satirical depiction of what a King Charles coin might look like. Photo: Ingrid Emilie Waaler / news Pub-goers are not alone in their opinion. King Charles III has several challenges to overcome. – But he has gotten better with age. I think people just never forgave him for Diana, says Matt Morbin. Wasn’t surprised A few stops away on the tube, the three friends Emma Preston (26), Connie Morphet (25) and Gabriella Earl (27) are talking about Queen Elizabeth in particular. For Preston and Morphet, the news did not come as a surprise. They know people in the BBC and in government. – I heard rumors about the death long before it was reported on the news, says Preston. For Earl, however, the news came as a shock. Emma Preston, Connie Morphet and Gabriella Earl (left) stand outside a pub in central London. Photo: Ingrid Emilie Waaler / news – I was out with my boyfriend when it happened, actually. It was a full party and a good atmosphere, but suddenly the DJ turns off the music and tells us what has happened, she says. It had become completely silent. People sat down and talked about the queen. The party was over. – I almost started to cry. – Those who think something, mean it strongly. The friends agree that they have great respect for the work the queen has done over the past 70 years. At the same time, they are not only enthusiastic about the monarchy. Connie Morphet (left) and Gabriella Earl (th) are not only happy in the British royal house. Photo: Ingrid Emilie Waaler / news – Prince Andrew, for example. Or colonialism, Morphet mentions as examples of things she dislikes. – And all the fuss with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, adds Preston. She says that her feed on Instagram on Friday morning was very divided in its view of the death. One half mourned the loss of the queen. The other half reminded that she wasn’t perfect either. And far from there. – The only thing everyone can agree on is that those who mean something, mean it strongly.
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The young Britons disagree about the royal house – news Norway – Overview of news from different parts of the country
