'The View' host Sunny Hostin talks death of Queen Elizabeth II: 'We can mourn the queen and not the empire'
On Friday's episode of The View, the co-hosts, of course, talked about Queen Elizabeth II, who died Thursday at 96.
She was Britain's longest-serving monarch, having seen monumental change in the world during her 70-year reign, and she had many celebrity fans, who paid public tribute to her in the hours afterward.
Co-host Sunny Hostin explained that she was one of those admirers.
"I studied in London, so I lived in London for a while. And I got caught up in the pomp and circumstance of it all as well," Hostin said. "I wanted to see the changing of the guards. I wanted to see everything. I wanted to meet the queen, because I think we all love glam and pageantry."
She explained her mixed feelings about the monarchy.
REFLECTING ON QUEEN ELIZABETH’S 70-YEAR REIGN: As the world says farewell to Queen Elizabeth II, #TheView co-hosts look back on her life and discuss the monarchy's complicated past, present and future under King Charles III. https://t.co/cVclFZQmjA pic.twitter.com/QbJiBCl4wD
— The View (@TheView) September 9, 2022
"And I think, though, we can mourn the queen and not the empire," Hostin said of Britain's colonial past. "Because if you really think about what the monarchy was built in, it was built on the backs of Black and Brown people. She wore a crown with pillaged stones from India and Africa, and now what you're seeing, at least in the Black communities that I'm a part of, they want reparations."
Hostin's co-host Joy Behar pointed out that, despite that, Queen Elizabeth had taken positive steps toward equality, such as fighting against apartheid in South Africa. She noted that the queen was a "figurehead" without much actual power.
Another co-host, Ana Navarro, pointed out that the United States also was built on the backs of Black and Brown people.
"And we want our reparations," Hostin said.
She added that she has high hopes for the newly crowned King Charles III and the changes he will potentially make.
"It's time for him to modernize this monarchy," Hostin said, "and it's time for him to provide reparations to all of those colonies. And I also think, you know, a monarchy... it's very easy to uplift one family. The harder thing is to uplift all families. And I think that he's in a position to be able to do that."
Hostin suggested the new king also mend the family's relationship with Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan Markle.
