Foreign Correspondence, Vol 56
Italy could soon get its first female leader—a polished far-right firebrand
Hello, and happy Friday. After an extended period of mourning (and queueing), the late Queen Elizabeth II was finally laid to rest this week. As the Elizabethan age ends, a new Carolean one begins. And with my time as a royal correspondent now over, I’m looking ahead to crucial elections coming up this weekend in Italy and next month in Brazil.
What I’ve written
On the royals beat, I wrote about King Charles III’s coronation, the uncertain future facing the British monarchy, what the monarchy actually does (and what it would take to abolish it), and how ethnic-minority Britons are remembering Queen Elizabeth II.
But my favorite royals story to cover over the past fortnight was undoubtedly The Queue, in which thousands of people waited for several hours in miles-long lines to pay their final respects to Queen Elizabeth II while her coffin lay in state. I expected the queue to be a mostly somber affair, but what I found was anything but:
Unlike many of the somber ceremonies that have taken place in the aftermath of the Queen’s death, the atmosphere among those waiting in line was, in some ways, a more festive affair. Many made “queue friends” with those standing beside them, while others broke out board games and snacks to help pass the time. “People are just happy to be here and happy to share this moment in history,” says Sadie Hamilton, a 21-year-old history student who joined the line at 11 a.m. with a bouquet of flowers in hand. After several days of mourning Queen Elizabeth II’s death, this felt “more so [like] a celebration of her life.” Keep reading here
In non-royals news, I wrote about the Serbian government’s efforts to cancel Europe’s largest LGBTQ event, which they originally offered to host. I also wrote a preview for this weekend’s elections in Italy, which could see the country elect its first ever female leader—as well as its most far-right government to date:
Should Meloni’s Brothers of Italy emerge as the largest party in the Sept. 25 contest—an outcome that would see Meloni lead a coalition government alongside far-right leader Matteo Salvini’s Northern League party and former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi’s center-right Forward Italy party—it will not only provide a playbook for like-minded parties to follow, but represent a new face of the European far-right: one that is more polished and electorally savvy than ever before. Keep reading here
What I’ve read
This excellent essay on Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral, a very British Hajj (Unherd)
I’m reminded of Walter Bagehot, Monarchy’s most supercilious theorist. For the Kingdom, he said, the monarch was simply “a visible symbol of unity to those so imperfectly educated as to need a symbol”. The portraits of Queen Elizabeth, hung in every shop window across the town — including the Thai Massage parlour — are pure symbolism. She looks as exact and fictitious as the lines on a map. People are not always sure what to do when a symbol dies. I’m told they almost ran out of champagne in The Ivy Windsor on September 8. Hallowed British etiquette: if in doubt, drink.
This thoughtful longread on Charles III, the Hobbit King (The Atlantic)
Far from resisting such royal parochialism, Britain should embrace Charles as the emblem of its new normal age. Very few people in the world know the names of the Dutch, Danish, or Norwegian monarchs, but their citizens are much more prosperous and their kingdoms more settled. If Charles joins them in comparative anonymity, that should be celebrated.
This fun piece that answers this burning question: Could ‘Ferris Bueller’s Day Off’ really be done? (The Washington Post)
Just because Ferris never looks rushed in the movie doesn’t mean this is a leisurely day. If you want to see everything on his list, you’ve got to keep up the pace. At the same time, you should remember to take a minute to appreciate what you’re experiencing. After all, as our hooky-playing hero says: “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”
What I’m thinking about
My TikTok debut (on the queue)!
Until next time,
Yasmeen