- Queen Elizabeth II died a 96 on Thursday, sending the internet into a whirlwind of reactions.
- Numerous politicians and influencers mourned the monarch and celebrated her reign.
- Brand accounts and meme pages reacted to the death, and some users argued over the Queen's legacy.
The internet is reacting to Queen Elizabeth II's death at 96 on Thursday with emotional tributes and earnest messages of gratitude, along with an onslaught of memes and bizarre messages from brand accounts. A tour through social media platforms shows how world leaders, celebrities, and influencers have all offered their takes.
This is what the Queen's death looked like through the lens of the internet.
Absurd brand account posts and memes about the death are surging online
A score of brand accounts shared reactions that seemed to clash with the historic occasion — since the mournful messages are usually paired with images of cartoon characters.
The official Peppa Pig Twitter account tweeted Queen Elizabeth II was "an inspiration to all generations, young and old," while the Crazy Frog account tweeted a RIP message with a lit candle emoji. The Shrek's Adventure Twitter account for the London attraction tweeted that it was joining "millions of mourners around the UK and the world in paying tribute to HM Queen Elizabeth II."
—Peppa Pig Official (@peppapig) September 8, 2022The gift company Banter King garnered over 150,000 views in a few hours for a TikTok meme suggesting the Queen would rise from the grave and attack Meghan Markle if she came "to say her goodbyes." Multiple brands also deleted tweets about the Queen's death, including Dominos UK which offered condolences on behalf of the company.
The Twitter account for the London production of the musical Hamilton tweeted out a statement of mourning and remembrance, which many on social media pointed out seemed ironic given the play revolves around breaking away from the monarchy's rule.
A slew of memes about Queen Elizabeth II's death also spread widely across social media, including a post from the meme account still_on_a_downward_spiral joking about how the monarch is "gonna reincarnate" as the baby of influencer Trisha Paytas — who recently announced they are due for labor soon. A meme about how Princess Diana and Queen Elizabeth II would interact in heaven amassed over 100,000 likes on Twitter. Comedians and influencers also quickly made jokes about the death: Jaboukie Young-White tweeted that "if we all irish danced she might hear it."
A number of meme pages also used the death as an opportunity to mock the event and connect it with other internet tropes. The Instagram meme account patiasfantasyworld, which has over 550,000 followers, wrote "rip bozo" in the caption of a post about her death, with a picture of Queen Elizabeth II's face split in half and stitched with a picture of the late rapper XXXTentacion.
Politicians and influencers offering sadness and condolences
The overwhelming tone from political officials and world leaders regarding the Queen's death was positive and mournful. The former Prime Minister of The United Kingdom, Boris Johnson, called Thursday "our country's saddest day" in a statement. The Presidents of Canada and France, Justin Trudeau and Emmanuel Macron, respectively, tweeted woeful sentiments soon after the news broke. US politicians like President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, Hillary and Bill Clinton, and Sen. Mitch McConnell also tweeted condolences.
—President Biden (@POTUS) September 8, 2022"She was a constant presence in our lives," Macron wrote, "and her service to Canadians will forever remain an important part of our country's history."
Numerous influencers and celebrities also reacted to the Queen's death. Paris Hilton gained attention after she called Elizabeth II the "original girl boss" in a memorial tweet, while actor William Shatner said he was "very saddened" to learn about her death. George Takei tweeted saying there "shall be none other like her," and Ozzy Osbourne said the thought of England without the Queen was "devastating." Yoko Ono's Twitter account posted a statement offering condolences to the Royal Family.
—ParisHilton (@ParisHilton) September 8, 2022Some influencers have faced backlash after tweeting sympathy for the Royal Family and sadness about the Queen's death. The musician Liz Phair's comments on Twitter were filled with detractors after she tweeted multiple times about supporting the Queen and being dismayed with her death.
Meanwhile, other internet users have tweeted celebratory messages, posting The Smiths' "The Queen Is Dead" and gesturing toward Britain's global dominance and the country's role in the history of imperialism and colonization. One Twitter user amassed over 100,000 likes with a tweet saying Elizabeth II "was an active participant of colonialism."
Another Twitter user has racked up over 130,000 likes with a tweet saying they aren't sad about the Queen's death because "she ruled over colonies guilt free," among other things.
Queen Elizabeth II was born in 1926 and reigned for 70 years, making her the longest monarch in Britain's history. She died on Thursday at Balmoral Castle in Scotland after reports earlier in the day that her health was in worrying condition.
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