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)When the news of the death of Queen Elizabeth II broke on the afternoon of September 8th 2022, the media quickly labelled it as the official end of an era. Not only was she the longest serving monarch in British history, but she is also the longest serving monarch globally. It is correct that Louis XIV was the king of France for 2 years more than Elizabeth II was the queen of Britain (and other countries of the Commonwealth), but he became the king at the age of 4, so he naturally did not function as a king until he became old enough for the role, instead, his mother was the regent of France for 8 years.
Before taking a dive into this topic it is worth noting here that the article will, inevitably, be rather Eurocentric, especially focusing on Great Britain and Ireland.
Who was Queen Elizabeth II?
On April 21st 1926, Elizabeth Alexandra May was born in London. Her parents were Prince Albert, duke of York, and Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon. Elizabeth was the eldest of two children, both daughters. Elizabeth’s father was the younger son of George V, and was therefore not expected to become the monarch after his father. Instead, it was her uncle who was set to become the King of Britain (and other countries). When Princess Elizabeth was 10 years old, her uncle abdicated, in order to marry Wallis Simpson, an American socialite and divorcée who was not, at the time, perceived to be suitable for the role as queen. As the eldest child of King George VI, Princess Elizabeth became heir presumptive.
In 1947, Princess Elizabeth married her distant cousin, Lieutenant Phillip Mountbatten, formerly Prince Phillip of Greece and Denmark. Almost exactly one year later, Princess Elizabeth gave birth to her eldest son, Prince Charles. Elizabeth and Phillip had three more children; Anne, born in 1950, Andrew, born in 1960, and Edward, born in 1964.
In 1952, King George VI passed away. Elizabeth was abroad at the time, and upon hearing the news she immediately returned to England by aeroplane. Elizabeth had at this point ascended to the throne, becoming Queen Elizabeth II, or officially, Elizabeth II, by the Grace of God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of her other realms and territories Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Fatih. The coronation of Queen Elizabeth II took place in 1953. During her reign, the Queen modernised the British royal family. As an example, major events in the royal family such as births, baptisms, and weddings were “everywhere” in British media and to some degree also globally. She held annual, televised speeches, which is an extension of the traditional speeches broadcasted on radio.
As of September 2022, Elizabeth II was the most popular member of the royal family. According to YouGov, only 8% of people disliked her, while 75% reported that they liked her.
Notable Events and Milestones During Her Reign
Given how long Queen Elizabeth II reigned, it is expected that several notable events occurred during this time. When Elizabeth II assumed the throne in the early 1950s, the world was very different from what it is today. Notably, she initially was the monarch of seven independent countries, and this number has increased after the 50s. Additionally, she was the Queen of areas which at the time was not sovereign, but is today. According to some, the British Empire ended during her reign, if the end of this period is when British rule of Hong Kong ended in 1997. The Suez Crisis of 1956 is considered a watershed moment of British history, as scholars use this event as a confirmation of the decline of Britain as a global power. However, if Indian Independence marks the end of the British Empire, it predates her reign.
During her reign, the United Kingdom had 15 unique Prime Ministers; the first British PM during her reign was no other than Winston Churchill, and the most recent was Liz Truss, both from the Conservative Party. Liz Truss only assumed office as the British PM two days prior to the Queen’s passing. Liz Truss was the third female PM, and Maragaret Thatcher was the first, serving as PM from 1979 until 1990.
The United Kingdom managed to first join the EU in 1973, when the union was known as EC, and then officially leave in 2020, during her reign.
The milestones the Queen managed to reach during her reign include longest serving monarch of British history; 2022 marked the Platinum Jubilee of her reign, celebrating 70 years as monarch.
Her reign was not without scandals, the Queen herself famously referred to 1992 as “annus horribilis” (Lat. terrible year). In addition to the various events of 1992, the overall marriage of Charles and Diana was a continuous issue for the royal family. Diana was well-liked by the populace, and the end of it all saw an increase in people who considered themselves republican (not in the American political sense). The infamous, although alleged, endeavours of Prince Andrew should also be noted, although it will not be further addressed beyond this mention.
What happens next?
Britain had been preparing for decades for what would happen once the Queen died, thus the process of change is expected to move on more swiftly than if it was unexpected and unprepared.
The funeral of Queen Elizabeth II will take place on September 19th, eleven days after her death. Until then, the United Kingdom is officially mourning, which among other things results in the flags being at half-mast across the union. In sports, athletes and teams may wear a black band on their arm to signal mourning.
One change that immediately took place after the announcement of the death was the change of the official national anthem of Britain, from God Save the Queen to God Save the King as Charles became the de facto monarch of Britain as he was next in the line of succession.
King Charles III was officially proclaimed King of Great Britain and Northern Ireland on September 10th 2022, only two days after the death of his mother. He is the oldest person to assume the throne in British history, and for years people were questioning if he would become a monarch at all, considering his unpopularity among the British populace and the fact that the person next in the line of succession, Prince William (or more correctly, William, Prince of Wales), is more well-liked.
One change that is expected to come in the time after the death of Elizabeth II is a switch from the portrait of the Queen to a portrait of King Charles III on the currencies worldwide which are featuring this. This is among the changes which will not immediately take place as it will take time to change this, currencies which presently feature Queen Elizabeth II may still have banknotes and coins in circulation for years featuring this, even after the introduction of the new designs. Additionally, minor things such as what royal cypher is found on the red post boxes of the Royal Mail should change, although only new boxes will feature the royal cypher of King Charles III; to this day there are post boxes in the UK which feature the royal cypher of King George VI.
Additionally, it is worth briefly mentioning that the future of the British monarchy has been discussed in the media, but this is best explored outside this article.
Sources
https://www.linternaute.fr/actualite/biographie/1776040-louis-xiv-biographie-courte-dates-citations/
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Elizabeth-II
https://www.britannica.com/biography/George-VI
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Wallis-Simpson
https://www.royal.uk/the-queens-jubilees-and-milestones
https://yougov.co.uk/topics/politics/explore/public_figure/Queen_Elizabeth_II
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