‘We are blessed to have them’: Fury author Hilary Mantel claims royals facing ‘the endgame’
Outcry over Wolf Hall author Hilary Mantel’s claims the royals are facing ‘the endgame’ and ‘won’t outlast William’: Royal supporters dismiss comments as a ‘load of tosh’
- Dame Hilary, 68, said she wished Queen had abdicated to make way for Charles
- She claims the Royal Family won’t outlast William and there is no interest in it
- Author courted controversy for calling Kate a ‘mannequin’ with a ‘plastic smile’
- But her latest comments have sparked a strong defence from royal supporters
A renowned author’s claim that the Monarchy is facing the ‘endgame’ has today been described as a ‘load of tosh’ by royal supporters.
Booker Prize winner Dame Hilary Mantel, who sparked outcry in 2013 by describing the Duchess of Cambridge as having a ‘plastic’ smile said of the Queen: ‘I wonder if she’s the only person who really believes in the Monarchy now, and I’m sure she believes with all her heart.’
The 68-year-old made the huge claim that there is ‘no legitimate public interest’ in broadcasting events such as the funeral of Prince Philip or pictures of royal babies leaving hospital for the first time.
Despite 13.6 million Britons tuning in to watch the farewell to the Duke of Edinburgh last month, Dame Hilary said: ‘I don’t know how much longer the institution will go on.’
The Wolf Hall author’s controversial comments have sparked a sharp backlash on social media from supporters of the Royal Family.
Hundreds have today rushed to platforms to mount an ardent defence of the monarchy.
One Twitter user said ‘we are blessed’ to have the royal family, while another heaped praise on the Queen, saying the 95-year-old monarch ‘continues to inspire daily’.
Others rubbished author’s prediction that the Royal Family was reaching the end of its usefulness, with one describing the idea as ‘absurd’.
Dame Hilary, 68, (pictured) whose withering assessment of the Duchess of Cambridge as ‘plastic’ caused an outcry in 2013
One person wrote of Dame Hilary’s comments: ‘Absolute load of tosh. All the statistics say that we as a nation are behind the monarchy.
‘I think there have been a few smear attempts this weekend at the royals and especially their future but I think we are blessed to have them.’
Another said: ‘In a transient world, the UK is lucky to have a monarchy.
‘We have a constant, something to depend on. Her Majesty the Queen continues to inspire daily.’
One Twitter user added: ‘Fortunately the majority of the public disagree with Hilary Mantel.’
And one Twitter user said: ‘Nah! Many people still like them a lot!’
Another said: ‘Hilary Mantel writes brilliant books, fantastic imagination, but anything about real life she gets drastically wrong as has been proven in the past.’
Meanwhile on social media user predicted that the popularity of the Royal Family will increase during the reign of Prince William.
In an interview with the Daily Telegraph magazine yesterday, Dame Hilary said she wished the Queen had abdicated to make way for Prince Charles.
‘I understand she thinks of this as a sacred task… It’s a conflict because most of the world sees the Royal Family as a branch of showbusiness.’
Reflecting on the death of the Duke of Edinburgh, Dame Hilary said that at the end of any long marriage, ordinary people sought routine and were ‘able to mourn in a natural way’, adding: ‘But what recent events bring home is how far the Monarchy’s arrangements with the media have turned it into a self-punishing institution.
‘No other family would be expected to parade a very elderly, newly widowed lady before the TV cameras, and yet it’s taken for granted that’s what will happen – just as it’s taken for granted that a new Royal mother will appear beaming on the hospital steps within a day of giving birth.
‘There’s no legitimate public interest behind it.’
Asked about the Monarchy’s future, she added: ‘I think it’s the endgame. I don’t know how much longer the institution will go on.
Asked about the Monarchy’s future, she added: ‘I think it’s the endgame. I don’t know how much longer the institution will go on’
‘No other family would be expected to parade a very elderly, newly widowed lady before the TV cameras, and yet it’s taken for granted that’s what will happen’
‘I’m not sure if it will outlast William. So I think it will be their last big era. There’s no legitimate public interest behind it’
Eight years ago, Dame Hilary dismissed Kate Middleton as a personality-free ‘shop window mannequin’ with a ‘plastic smile’
‘I’m not sure if it will outlast William. So I think it will be their last big era.’
The Wolf Hall author’s historical novels chronicle the brutal fate suffered by Royal consorts in Tudor times.
Eight years ago, Dame Hilary dismissed Kate Middleton as a personality-free ‘shop window mannequin’ with a ‘plastic smile’ whose ‘only point and purpose’ was to give birth.
