Republic CEO calls Queen Elizabeth II 'pointless' as head of state

Graham Smith, the Chief Executive Officer of the British political organisation Republic, has some harsh words to say about Queen Elizabeth II in light of recent revelations from Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's Oprah interview.

Questions have been raised regarding the future of the British monarchy after the interview. Commonwealth members debated if they should remain loyal to Her Majesty the Queen following allegations from the Duke and Duchess of Sussex stating that Buckingham Palace turned a blind eye on issues concerning racism and mental health.

Smith, in response to these claims, said that for this reason the monarchy should be abolished. He said it is pointless for Queen Elizabeth II to remain head of state since she cannot defend the country against a "rogue government." She has the power but she can reportedly only act on it upon orders from U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

"We have a head of state who will only do what the Government tells her to do. She has power but she will only exercise it on the instruction of the Prime Minister," the activist told Express.

"If the Prime Minister wanted to cancel elections and rewrite the constitution, suspend Parliament indefinitely then the Queen would go along with that and do all of it on the Prime Minister's request," Smith continued as he called Queen Elizabeth II "really pointless as far as being head of state is concerned."

"This is why we ought to have a proper constitution and an accountable head of state who can actually defend that constitution and protect us from Governments that might do the wrong thing," he added.

Smith's statements are expected given that he runs an organisation that aims to abolish the British monarchy. The Republic is in favour of a democratic republic and calls the Royal Family an outdated institution.

The outcome of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's Oprah interview has seen parts of the Commonwealth realms questioning its allegiance to Queen Elizabeth II. In Canada alone, an independent survey found that only 50 percent of Canadians support the monarch as head of state. Meanwhile, less than 33 percent want the British monarchy to thrive for the next generations.