MSNBC On-Air Feud Regarding The Queen’s Legacy Gets Uncomfortable Really Fast

British historian Dr. Andrew Roberts slammed MSNBC host Ali Velshi on September 10 after the cable host focused on the negatives surrounding Queen Elizabeth II. During the MSNBC interview, Velshi started his segment in an upbeat manner that quickly turned into a negative narrative. “As beloved as Elizabeth was, she also represented an institution that had a long and ugly history of brutal colonialism, violence, theft and slavery,” Velshi said. But didn’t stop there. The MSNBC host continued, “Even as Queen Elizabeth’s reign largely marked the beginning of the post-colonial era, the horrors that her long line of ancestors inflicted upon many generations of people across the globe continues to be the source of pain.” Afterward, Dr. Roberts hit back at the MSNBC host, slamming him for his negative take on the monarch.

“I think that’s wildly overstated,” the British historian stated. “When you look at all the opinion polls, we’re about 80 to 85 percent in favor of having a constitutional monarchy — whoever’s on the throne.” Roberts noted to Velshi that the U.K. abolished slavery 35 years before America did and reminded the Kenyan-born host that Kenyans “supported the appointment of Prince Charles, now King Charles, as the head of the Commonwealth.”