British historian Andrew Roberts clashed with MSNBC host Ali Velsey on Saturday over the host’s claims that while many loved Queen Elizabeth II, other people around the world are tired of the British monarchy and see it as a remnant of colonial oppression. . Roberts dismissed Velsey’s claims as “wildly overstated” and insisted that between “80 to 85 percent” of Britons value the monarchy. Velsey defended his framing and insisted that people who loathe the British crown should be represented in his reporting. The segment ended on a tense note between the two. The dramatic exchange took place during MSNBC’s special coverage, “Remembering Queen Elizabeth II,” in which Velshi and UK correspondents covered the aftermath of the Queen’s death. Queen’s funeral could be curtains for Prince ANDREW, expert says On Saturday, MSNBC host Ali Velshi sparred with British historian Andrew Roberts over the controversial legacy of the British Empire.
The coverage also included commentary on the occasion from British guests such as Roberts, who disputed Velsey’s first point in their conversation. Velshi began the segment by saying, “Let’s talk about this: the idea that there are people — we just had a historian say that there are a lot of people who are ‘queens’, they’re not monarchs. They liked it. do you get bored of the establishment or do you think you should change or you’re not going to be so interested in the next king.’ Roberts immediately dismissed that prospect, stating, “I think it’s way overstated, frankly. When you look at all the polls, we’re about 80 to 85 percent in favor of having a constitutional monarchy, whoever’s on the throne.” “I think that’s hugely exaggerated, frankly,” added the historian, before taking explicit aim at Velsey’s introduction. “Rather, I’m afraid to say, as your introduction was, if we had given people so much pain throughout history, because Charles [III] chosen by each Commonwealth country?’ Not liking this, the MSNBC host immediately dismissed Roberts’ statements, tersely asking: “Andrew, hold on a minute. Are you really denying what I just said about British colonialism? Are you really doing that, Andrew? Are you really doing that?!” Velsi scolded, “Andrew, this is not a propaganda show.” He then proceeded to cut off his guest, “I need you to stop for a second. Are you really facing the horrors of colonialism, Andrew?” In coverage of Queen Elizabeth II’s death, MSNBC’s Velshi referred to the “many millions” of people who see the British monarchy as a horrible oppressor. (Alastair Grant – WPA Pool/Getty Images) Roberts replied: “I certainly disagree with your remarks about slavery, which we abolished 32 years before you, and we didn’t have to kill 600,000 people in a civil war over it.” Appearing to take personal issue with Roberts’ defense of the monarch, Velsey responded, stating: “When I was born, the British Empire still existed.” Roberts then asked “which country”, to which Velsi said, “Kenya”. The historian pushed back once more. “Right, and Kenyans have not only supported the appointments of Prince Charles, now King Charles, as head of the Commonwealth, but we’ve just had a fantastic statement from the president of Kenya saying what a wonderful thing the Queen has been.” “And why on earth would you want to focus only on the negatives of an institution that is a hundred years old?” asked Roberts, apparently referring to British colonialism. QUEEN ELIZABETH II REMEMBERED WHEN KING CHARLES III ACCES THE BRITISH THRONE Britain’s King Charles III before members of the Privy Council in the Throne Room during the Accession Council at St. James’s Palace, London, Saturday, September 10, 2022, where he was formally proclaimed monarch. (Photo by Jonathan Brady/Pool via AP) Velsey insisted he wasn’t focusing on the negatives, just mentioning the “many millions of people … who think we shouldn’t be celebrating the British monarchy at the moment”. The host added that many of those people are in Britain, which Roberts scoffed at, adding: “Not many in Britain – where are these people in Britain? You know, like I said, between 10 and 15 percent don’t they want a monarchy.” Unmoved, Velsey asked: “So you’re just prepared to discount 10 or 15 per cent of the British population who think this is an anachronism?” After some more similar back and forth, Velshi ended the segment and accused Roberts of whitewashing the story to defend the crown. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Gabriel Hays is a contributing editor at Fox News. Follow him on Twitter at @gabrieljhays.