THERE HAS been a huge reaction to the highly anticipated Oprah interview with Meghan Markle and Prince Harry which aired in the US last night.
While some were abhorred by the interview, saying it was disrespectful to the monarchy, others feel huge compassion for the couple and are now calling for the monarchy as a whole to be abolished.
Of course, the calls for an end to the monarchy is not a new idea which has suddenly come into being following the bombshell interview, however it has been thoroughly thrust into the limelight as the world discusses the institution of the royal family in detail.
In the hours following the interview, as media outlets reported on some of the most shocking revelations including Ms Markle's deteriorating mental health and an unnamed senior royal being concerned at what baby Archie's skin colour might be, #AbolishTheMonarchy began trending on Twitter with tens of thousands of people voicing their opinions on the matter.
One woman said she believes the late Princess Diana would have been "incredibly proud of [Harry] for breaking away from the firm", and asked "Shouldn't the next conversation be how we go about ensuring this Queen is the last?"
Journalist Chelley Ryan said the "way people are programmed to worship the monarchy is one of the things that's kept working class people from believing in their own worth" and called the institution "deeply unhealthy".
The way people are programmed to worship the monarchy is one of the things that's kept working class people from believing in their own worth, fueling a tug the forelock mentality. It's deeply unhealthy, as is the institution itself.#AbolishTheMonarchy#OprahMeghanHarry
— Chelley Ryan (@chelleryn99) March 8, 2021
Republic UK, a political organisation which has campaigned since 1983 to replace the monarchy with an elected head of state, said the "rotten institution needs to go" and urged people to sign a petition to "ensure the Queen is Britain's last monarch".
It's time. Sign the petition, let's ensure the Queen is Britain's last monarch.https://t.co/J5THrvBNbA#OprahMeghanHarry #abolishthemonarchy
— Republic 🇺🇦 🏳️🌈 (@RepublicStaff) March 8, 2021
Director Scot Williams said "I used to think the monarchy had at least one purpose. As Orwell said, it would stop the rise of despots & dictators. BUT, when Johnson lied to the Queen & prorogued parliament and she didn’t fire him! That was it for me."
Others commenting using the hashtag were calling for Scotland to become an independent republic or for Northern Ireland to join the Irish Republic, while one man commented that "the whole idea of a 'superior bloodline' is inherently racist".
Others still cited the lack of action taken against Prince Andrew for his alleged sexual involvement with an underage girl and friendship with Jeffrey Epstein as the reason the monarchy should be abolished.
Piers Morgan, long a vocal critic of Meghan Markle, dismissed the interview as "vile destructive self-serving nonsense" and said Prince Harry "wants America and the rest of the world to hate his own family, hate the Monarchy and hate his country".
This interview is an absolutely disgraceful betrayal of the Queen and the Royal Family. I expect all this vile destructive self-serving nonsense from Meghan Markle - but for Harry to let her take down his family and the Monarchy like this is shameful. #OprahMeghanHarry pic.twitter.com/F2QDxELSsr
— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) March 8, 2021
As the hashtag began trending on Twitter, the Good Morning Britain host wrote "Congrats Meghan & Harry - your mission is complete".
