Queen Elizabeth is being laid to rest, but not everybody is celebrating.
In former colonies, there is a backlash against the Pomp and Circumstance. Some in India feel they are being forced to glorify an oppressive monarchy.
“The anger is towards the institutionalized practices of the monarchy and what it represents,” UTSA Professor Ritu Mathur tells 1200 WOAI news.
She says leaders across India and other former colonies, most of which are already republics, have expressed sadness over the Queen's death. But today's funeral is bringing up the legacies of colonialism, including calls for atonement and reparations.
“There is going to be television coverage of the event, but what about respecting the struggles and the debts of the freedom fighters in these other countries,” Mathur says.
Professor Abigail Swingen at Texas Tech says that there is also bad blood in neighboring Ireland, which fought for independence.
"We're talking land confiscation and civil wars and massacres. These things are part of their collective memory."
She says that's not taught in America, which is why some here are surprised to see resistance to the celebration. But she says now is a time for places like Canada and Jamaica to debate whether the monarchy is compatible with their government.
It was just last year that Barbados became a republic, swearing in its first president. This year, Prince William visited the Caribbean on behalf of the Queen. It was met with protests. And, in Belize, a constitutional reform commission is considering whether they should declare a republic.