Cover photo courtesy of PolizeiBerlin on Wikimedia Commons
When Queen Elizabeth II of England died on September 8th of 2022, the whole world was abuzz with discussion. Since the internet is an easy way to communicate with others all over the world, it was only natural that it became the clashing ground of divergent reactions at the news of this tragic event.
When the official Royal Family Twitter account announced the death of The Queen, the first reaction many people expressed was mourning for the loss of a largely well-respected world leader and celebrity. From everyday citizens to world leaders, many people expressed their sorrow and the respect they held for England’s lost monarch.
This wasn’t limited to just world leaders and citizens, however. There were also many brands and companies that have also expressed their regret towards The Queen’s passing. This includes brands such as Domino’s Pizza, Playmobil, Heinz, Hamilton West End, Peppa Pig, and Paddington Bear. Many of these brands have been met with confusion, however, with many people making fun of brands such as these for what they consider self-promotion during a difficult time for many people in the world.
On top of the brands that have expressed the grief they feel, many celebrities also joined in as well. Celebrities such as Elton John, Bill Gates, Harry Styles, and Ozzy Osbourne have all made tributes or statements in honor of The Queen.
At the same time that people were mourning this loss, others online took to memeing and cracking jokes at the oddity of the situation. The Queen’s long reign has been the subject of online humor for years, with many people joking that it would never end. Because of this, once that reign actually ended, it created an explosive deluge of internet memes surrounding it. Although it would be hard to go in depth about every meme that sprouted from this event, we can note one of the most popular ones, that being the one originating from the 2010 film, Megamind.
There were also a slew of interesting coincidental tweets that relate to the date of The Queen’s passing. This includes two separate Twitter users who seem to have predicted the precise date of The Queen’s death, namely @0xSkip and @BirdTheBanana, who has since denied connection to any “CULT, RELIGION, ORGANIZATION AND OR CONSPIRACY”.
A third reaction to The Queen’s death also arose, that being one of joyous celebration. This reaction seems to have primarily originated from countries such as Ireland and India that were controlled by Britain in the past. People from these countries were also quick to take the news of this event as an opportunity to remind the world of the ”many millions who died under British imperialism,” for which many people consider her a figurehead (Newsweek). Those who celebrated her death also took to cracking jokes at The Queen’s expense on Twitter in many ways, such as editing a video of Irish dancing in front of Buckingham Palace to “Another One Bites the Dust” and stadium chanting that The Queen is “in a box.”
In the end, it’s easy to say that the death of Queen Elizabeth II was an event that shook the world.