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For Matthew, the Queens death is double edged: Theres cause for celebration in the sense that it might kickstart the end of the monarchy but its frustrating because I darent say that to anyone but my wife!

He admits crafting several Facebook posts arguing that the death of Queen Elizabeth II ought to preempt the UKs transition to a republic but has shied away from pressing send. A lot of people seem very emotional at the moment and I dont want to be the target of a massive pile-on by trolls, said Matthew (not his real name).

Other republicans admit they feel bullied into supporting something they dont believe in. I feel unable to express an opinion without being branded disrespectful, so therefore Ive been funnelled into complying with the countrys grief, said Aisha, who also requested a pseudonym.

As someone who believes the monarchy is an outdated concept that compromises our democratic right and signifies colonialism, I am suddenly being turned into the bad guy for deciding not to celebrate that aspect of the Queens life.

People blur the line between her as a person who did a lot of amazing things and her as a queen, and thats where they get defensive, she said.

However, groups representing the views of Britains republicans say that now is not the time to be cowed into suppressing their beliefs.

Aware of supporters electing to self-censor and hearing reports of others admitting they are too petrified to air their views for fear of being cancelled, the main republican campaign group is actively pushing calls to abolish the monarchy.

Obviously people will be careful not to cause offence, but this is also a public office that needs to be debated, said Graham Smith, spokesperson for Republic, which is campaigning to replace the monarchy with an elected head of state. People still have every right to say whatever they think they shouldnt feel cowed. But there is a lot of concern, particularly on social media, about being censored or saying the wrong thing.

As coverage of the Queens death continues to dominate broadcast schedules, Smith anticipated ambivalence would become the overriding response for millions during the days ahead. There is an appetite for a lot of this, but there will be a point where people feel its going too far or going on for too long. Theres going be a lot of people switching over to Netflix and other streaming channels.

The saturation point for many, he envisaged, would be the middle of this week and although he anticipated overt republican and anti-monarchy sentiment to decline around the Queens funeral, he expected a resurgence soon after, when many predict the UK will enter a different era of debate over the future of its royal family.

Smith believes admiration for the Queen has largely repressed republicanism, with the issue likely to be imbued with renewed energy. The Queen was the monarchy for most people and has been all our lives. Charles will not inherit that level of deference and respect, and this really does change the whole dynamic, he said.

It was notable, the group said, that even during the hours immediately following the announcement of the Queens death on Thursday evening, it received a rise in support. Republic recorded more than 2,000 new followers during the 24 hours after the announcement. Were also getting an influx of people signing up to us, added Smith.

Although polls have consistently shown that the vast majority of Britons back the monarchy republicans have long accepted they had no chance of changing the system while the Queen was alive support for the monarchy has been falling.

Charles is a very different kettle of fish. If support was dropping anyway, its not going to go up, said Smith.

Polling ahead of the celebrations for the countrys first-ever platinum jubilee earlier this year suggested that 62% of Britons said they supported the monarchy. A decade earlier, however, the same polling company YouGov reported that figure was 11 points higher, at 73%. YouGov polling also revealed that almost a quarter 22% of people in the UK now support abolishing the monarchy, a pronounced increase from a decade earlier.

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King Charles is a different kettle of fish: Britains republicans believe their time will come - The Guardian