Fans Have A Lot Of Thoughts About Stonehenge's Tribute To Queen Elizabeth
Queen Elizabeth will celebrate her Platinum Jubilee this week, commemorating 70 years with the monarch on the throne. The occasion is especially noteworthy given that she is the only British ruler to reach this impressive milestone.
Given the significance of the celebration, it should come as no surprise that British citizens and the royal family alike are marking the week with grand gestures. Consider that even ex-royals Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are on hand to make an appearance — although the couple reportedly agreed to limit the drama and allow the Queen to have the spotlight. Meanwhile, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's roles are being downsized given that they are no longer working members of the royal family (via Page Six).
Meanwhile, a military parade and church service are among the planned events for the four-day jubilee (via Reuters). Prime Minister Boris Johnson also announced that the country will see bonfires and street parties as the UK celebrates Queen Elizabeth. The event even got its own emoji!
It's a tribute at a historic landmark that is raising eyebrows.
Stonehenge will feature a unique tribute to Queen Elizabeth
English Heritage is charged with preserving Stonehenge, the historic landmark visited by world travelers for centuries. The giant stone formation dates back more than 5,000 years making it one of the oldest structures on Earth.
The renowned history behind Stonehenge and its valuable place in British and world culture is the reason some people are not fans of how English Heritage has chosen to mark Queen Elizabeth's Platinum Jubilee. As the organization announced on Twitter, this week a series of the monarch's portraits will be projected on the stones that make up the landmark (via USA Today).
"We've brought two British icons together to mark the #PlatinumJubilee!" the tweet reads, going on to explain that eight images were chosen for the temporary display. "Each picture is from a different decade of The Queen's reign," the tweet then declares.
As you can imagine the announcement has drawn mixed reactions.
Twitter users are outraged — or are they?
When it was announced that Stonehenge would feature a series of portraits of Queen Elizabeth in honor of the Platinum Jubilee, people immediately had strong reactions. Some non-fans of the idea were not timid in expressing their disdain, with one person tweeting, "This sacred site of Druid worship has nothing to do with the Queen. You are all cursed now."
Another Twitter user said in part that the portraits are "embarrassing." An individual lambasted the portraits as "tacky." And someone else pointed out that Stonehenge wasn't built by any British monarch, let alone Queen Elizabeth herself — so the concept really doesn't make sense.
Among the upset parties are the Druids and pagans, who maintain that Stonehenge is a sacred site that should not be decorated with images of a Christian leader (via Daily Mail).
But not everyone is upset by the mashup of ancient history and the Queen, with one fan calling the project "rather cool." And another Twitter user speculated that people who felt offended by the tribute were simply expressing "fake outrage."