By Sarah Meiselman
When I first heard of Queen Elizabeth II, I thought of her as more of a figurehead than anything else; she seemed like someone who shook hands with politicians and smiled at cameras. I’ve come to realize, however, that nobody could have filled her role with the amount of grace and devotion that she did. She managed to keep the British monarchy alive through a whirlwind of social and political change that threatened its stature, all while maintaining her humor and wit, and while raising a family.
Her background itself is fascinating. father, King George IV, was only crowned king in 1937 after her uncle, King Edward VIII, renounced his crown to marry an American divorcée, Wallis Simpson. Soon after, in 1939, Britain was swept into World War II, when Elizabeth (who was a princess at the time) proved her commitment to her country. In 1942, she was given the role of honorary colonel of the Grenadier Guards and performed her first inspection of a military regiment during a parade at Windsor Castle. In 1943, she was photographed with her large garden at Windsor Castle in which she grew her own food to be self-sustaining, a model for others during the food shortage the war had caused. In 1944, she joined the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS), the women’s branch of the British Army, and became the first female of the Royal family to be an active-duty member of the British Armed Forces. In March of 1945, she began her training as a mechanic at the Mechanical Transport Training Section in Camberley, Surrey. When the war ended on May 8, 1945, she joined the thousands of people celebrating in the streets of London.
In 1947, she married her third cousin, Philip Mountbatten, at London’s Westminster Abbey. In 1952, King George IV died, when Elizabeth was just 25 years old. Much of Britain viewed her as a bright, young leader who represented the end of war and the start of a better time.
Elizabeth’s rule was one of rapid political change. As a constitutional monarch, she had no political power, but was nevertheless the face of Britain on many occasions. At the beginning of her rule, the British Empire was shrinking back to its island core after the expansionism of the 1800s. Her job as the queen of this change entailed her (or her representatives) to go to colonies, and as part of a ceremony, perform a negotiation, read the new constitution, and then grant independence.
Elizabeth took on the challenge of salvaging something of these new countries by promoting their membership in the commonwealth, the international association consisting of the UK, states previously part of the British Empire, and dependencies, which puts the British monarch symbolically in the position of the leader. She visited the new countries as head of the Commonwealth and representative of Britain, including being the first British monarch to make a state visit to Germany in more than five decades. This process was a way for her to preserve British influence over the post-colonial world. Not only that, but Britain, which had been one of three world powers in 1952, was becoming a second-rank power in a less-than-ideal economic and diplomatic situation. The continuity of the monarchy that Queen Elizabeth II ensured provided a stability that helped the British people overcome their disappointments over these shortcomings.
During and after this process of the British Empire evolving into the Commonwealth of Nations, Elizabeth also had the task of giving the monarchy a new role in the lives of the British people–one of serving the people rather than them serving her. In 1957, she gave a famous speech, in which she said, “I cannot lead you into battle. I do not give you laws or administer justice. But I can do something else. I can give you my heart, and my devotion to these old islands and to all the peoples of our brotherhood of nations.”
The Queen’s determination to serve her country while keeping her political opinions hidden allowed for the public and politicians from all sections of the political spectrum to celebrate her reign. She evaluated political situations without giving her preference, which kept her involved with the Prime Minister and government without meddling in the affairs of either. She understood her role as a constitutional monarch.
Queen Elizabeth II also led the British Monarchy through a time of immense social change. In 1969, cameras caught a glimpse of the life of the royal family for the show Royal Family. For the first time, preparations for state ceremonials to picnics between members aired to the public. Elizabeth, a woman who valued privacy and dignity, was against sharing her personal life with the world. She did not want her coronation to be shown on television, but did so after persuasion from her advisors, making it the first ever to be broadcast, and she permitted to show, too.
Social change also affected the press, which in the 80s, became much more aggressive when it came to exposing the royal family to the public. By the 90s, the public stopped accepting the separation of the royals from the rest of society and devoured the press’s articles. The public formed a closer, and less predictable, relationship with their queen. Queen Elizabeth II had previously promoted the influence of the entire royal family, rather than just her, to strengthen its dominance over British society, which had been pushing it away in modern times. This resulted in the press pushing her children even farther into the spotlight and condemning them even more for their divorces. The British monarchy had always presented itself as a model family for its subjects, so with the press’s attack on the Queen’s children’s divorces, and in some cases, infidelity, the prestige and perfection the monarchy once held began to crumble.
The perception of perfection also began to dissolve following the with the divorce of Princess Anne and Mark Phillips, as well as that of Prince (now king) Philip and Princess Diana in 1992. In addition, on November 20 of that year, one of the Queen’s favorite residences, Windsor Castle, burned down. After public outcry over the cost of restoration, the Queen agreed to pay taxes in the future. 1992 became a turning point for Queen Elizabeth and her advisors to reevaluate the role of the British monarchy. Buckingham Palace was opened to the public and the Way Ahead group was set up by the Queen and senior advisors to ensure the monarchy stayed relevant in the modern age.
In 1997, Princess Diana, Philip’s ex-wife, beloved by the public, was killed in a car crash. The royal family faced a new wave of criticism because they were believed to have mistreated her. The outpouring of grief from the public caused the Queen to have to smooth over the situation with a speech and head bow to Diana’s coffin, which was against her traditions since following the divorce, Diana was no longer technically a member of the royal family. This also taught the Queen the effect — and the necessity — of showing a human, emotional side of herself. The following five years consisted of a subtle modernization plan, in which the Queen showed her less formal self and since that time worked more closely with the media. As recently as last year, when suffering from COVID, she broadcast a video to the public describing her symptoms. This action made her more accessible and real to the people.
In 2002, the Queen’s golden jubilee proved the change Queen Elizabeth II’s efforts had caused. The public, much closer to the royal family now, began to love the family once again. In 2012, the Queen’s success was proven yet again with the celebrations of her 60th anniversary on the throne. On September 9, 2015, she became the longest reigning monarch in British and Commonwealth history. In 2020, she made another famous broadcast in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, in which she said, “We should take comfort that while we may have more still to endure, better days will return.” In 2022, Queen Elizabeth II celebrated 70 years as sovereign, having the first ever platinum jubilee. She died on September 8, 2022.
Queen Elizabeth II, to many, represented the last remaining connection between present-day Great Britian and the last time in which it was a star on the world stage. As Britan has changed culturally, politically, and economically, she was a human representation of continuity. She always presented herself and acted as a servant to her subjects. She viewed her job as a role from God, and she always stood by it.
And now, King Charles III, Queen Elizabeth’s first son, faces the impossible task of following in her footsteps. He is the oldest person to become king in Britain’s history, at age 73. While he has strong support and sympathy from the public, nothing can change the fact that the Queen’s talent of marrying continuity with adaptability is lost forever. Time will tell the country will regard this new Monarchy.
