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The Union Jack flew at half mast at Windsor Castle on Friday
Photo: PETER CZIBORRA / REUTERS
The numerous flowers in front of Buckingham Palace and the great sympathy at home and abroad speak for themselves: Queen Elizabeth II, who died on Thursday, had many fans worldwide, and her confident demeanor also brought her great recognition from heads of state and government.
But as head of the British monarchy, the Queen has always embodied a controversial system.
As early as 1977, the Sex Pistols attacked Elizabeth II with their corruption of the national anthem "God Save the Queen" - and sparked a controversy.
The punk rock band provoked, for example, by singing about a "fascist regime" directly after the obviously not serious wish to protect the monarch.
After the reports of her death, some videos on social media testify to the fact that the Queen was and is still a stimulus figure in some places today.
Accordingly, fans of the Irish football club Shamrock Rovers FC from the capital Dublin mocked the deceased monarch with a song.
Footage from Tallaght Stadium shows supporters chanting "Lizzie's in a box" repeatedly to the tune of the song "Give it Up" by KC & the Sunshine Band during the Conference League game against Swedish club Djurgårdens IF - "Lizzie is in a box".
According to media reports on Friday, the association condemned the chants as "highly insensitive and callous".
Cheers and graffiti in Northern Ireland
The relationship between the Irish and the monarchy in the neighboring country has always been tense.
A bloody civil war after the First World War led first to a detachment and finally to the independence of the Republic of Ireland from the British Crown.
In Northern Ireland, the loyalty to or rejection of the royal family still divides the population massively.
The part of the country belonging to the Kingdom is deeply divided between Catholics, who support reunification with EU member Republic of Ireland, and Protestants, who are loyal to Great Britain.
After the death of the Queen, there were also reports from Northern Ireland of jubilee celebrations and anti-monarchist graffiti, as well as honking motorcades.
Northern Ireland Prime Minister-designate Michelle O'Neill called for restraint.
“During this time, everyone should behave respectfully.
Queen Elizabeth has died and a family is mourning her loss,” O'Neill said.
"She may ultimately have been the Queen of England, but she was also a mother, a grandmother." It was not appropriate to joke about the death of the head of state.
Shop owner cheers - police must intervene
In
Scotland
, too, a woman did not hide her glee at the death of the 96-year-old.
As the Telegraph reports, the owner of a fish and chip shop from Muir of Ord in the Scottish Highlands celebrated the Queen's passing with a bottle of sparkling wine and a plaque that read 'Lizard Liz Dead' Liz is dead«.
Outraged residents then drove to the store and threw eggs at the front, and the windows are said to have been smeared with ketchup.
Finally, according to the report, the police had to secure the area around the shop.
While in
England
almost all football clubs blackened their emblems on social media to commemorate the Queen, this was only the case in Scotland.
For example, the crest of the traditionally Protestant and unionist Glasgow Rangers appeared in black, while the logo of the rival, Catholic club Celtic Glasgow remained green.
Even in England itself, the Republicans have been an anti-monarchist movement for centuries, but according to surveys, they only enjoy sympathy among a minority of the population.
The head of the Republic movement, Graham Smith, still sees his chance.
"The Queen is the monarchy to most people," Smith said.
After her death, the future of the institution is "seriously endangered," the activist speculated.
The group argues that there is no longer any place for the monarchy in a modern democracy and that the maintenance of the royal structures consumes enormous sums of money.
The Crown, on the other hand, says the royal institutions cost taxpayers less than a pound a year.
secessionist efforts in Australia
There was much mourning in
Australia
on Friday for Queen Elizabeth, but pro-republicans there also reignited a long-standing debate about the monarchy.
The British monarch is the head of state in Australia, although this role is largely ceremonial.
In a referendum held in 1999, 55 percent of voters opposed the conversion to a republic.
“Our thoughts are with her family and all who loved her.
Now Australia needs to look ahead,” said Australian Green Party leader Adam Brandt, a prominent Republican.
"We must become a republic."
The Australian Republican Movement also offered condolences, noting that during the 1999 referendum the Queen had supported Australia's right to become a fully independent nation, stating that it was 'a matter for the Australian people alone can decide".
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has spoken out in favor of becoming a republic.
Similar debates are taking place in the Caribbean, where
Jamaica
has indicated it may soon follow Barbados and abolish royal rule.
The island state had broken away from the crown in 2021.
With agency material