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>>We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/declaration-transcript

Adulation of the Queen is fundamentally un-American. She represented the European system of royalty where certain members of society enjoy inherited legal privileges, political power, and social position.

This system is what the signers of the Declaration of Independence were rejecting by the assertion that “all men are created equal”.

The Declaration was directed towards an unelected Monarch who still had significant authority over his country. The modern monarchy doesn't have that, and really doesn't "rule" anyone. They are basically employed by the country as a whole to maintain tradition and unify its people. Nobody with any sense would blame the Queen for whatever ills the country commits.

I do agree that adulation of royalty is just as distasteful, and very similar to, the adulation of celebrities in general. I thought the general weepiness from some over the death of Prince's Diana was eye rolling in the extreme.

However, all that can be true, and it is still possible to have enormous respect for this particular woman. She had a very specific job to do, and she did it extraordinarily well for a very long life. That job greatly limited her freedom to act as other people do, but she accepted that responsibility and performed those duties without ever embarrassing herself or her country. The obvious flip side of that are Harry and his wife, who want all the privileges and status of being royals without having to make the necessary sacrifices in terms of freedom to act how they might wish in a given moment.

So while I don't feel any personal sense of loss or emotional connection, I can still feel respect and sadness at the death of a great woman.

This system is what the signers of the Declaration of Independence were rejecting by the assertion that “all men are created equal”

This ideal has been a cornerstone of our country, but as we have seen people are not, in reality created equal. They should be treated equally, but that is also not true, nor has it ever been.

In practice, people tend to naturally sort themselves into social levels; some are more able to be successful than others. In America, our government tries to provide some sort of equalization with varying degrees of success. In a monarchy, it is the royal family that attempts to provide order and stability. Human nature, being what it is, has always found some people to follow and admire, and place on a pedestal. We have done that in America with politicians, business leaders, athletes and entertainers.

As I see more and more what we have done with choosing our government representatives, we can't really claim to have any sort of high ground intellectually, or politically. I do find it interesting to see how these royals have responded to the responsibilities placed on them only by the happenstance of birth. Elizabeth II seemed to be remarkable in her discipline and focus on the role placed upon her. We'll get to see how Charles III fits into a role that he has been waiting to fill for more than half a century.

I respect and admire how the Queen conducted herself in her entire life.
Every family, most anyway, are disfunctional to some degree. She showed dignity and restraint in the face of criticism and adversity, and did it for 70yrs, no less.
That in itself deserves respect.
RIP, Your Majesty.

And no, I’m not British.🙂