Queen Elizabeth II passed away peacefully on September 8th, 2022 ending her 70-year reign over England and its many sovereign states. On April 21, 1926, Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor was born, the eldest daughter of Prince Albert Duke of York and his wife Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon. At the time, the next in line for the throne was her childless uncle Edward VIII and if Edward was to have children, they would replace her father in succession to the throne. While seemingly unlikely that Elizabeth would occupy the royal spotlight, fates changed when Edward fell in love with an American divorced woman and abdicated the throne to his younger brother to marry her. Elizabeth’s father was named King George VI and with no male siblings, a future of royalty was secured for the young princess. In another turn of events, World War II began in 1939 when Elizabeth was 13 years old. In order to avoid the dangers of the war, like many other children at the time, Elizabeth and her sister were sent away from their parents. However, unlike their peers, they had the pleasure of spending that time in Windsor Castle where Elizabeth gained an education from various college professors and experts in their field.
In 1944, when Elizabeth turned 18, the princess insisted that it was time to do her part in the war effort. She joined the Auxiliary Territorial Service (female branch of the British Army) where she quickly gained her footing in mechanics and began maintaining a driving and vehicle maintenance operation. The lessons she learned from her time in the army carried over to her reign, often drawing parallels between her army experience and current role, as a guide for Britain through crises and turmoil. Two years after the war she was married to Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten in a wedding that was broadcasted to an estimated 200 million TVs worldwide. After her father’s untimely death in 1952, Elizabeth was crowned at age 25 and the new Queen began her corgi-accompanied and colorfully-dressed reign.
Following WWII, nations formerly under British rule began to declare independence and the public view of the Monarchy changed. BBC news stated they were beginning to see Elizabeth and her court as “too British” and “upper-class”. People began to feel disconnected from the crown and the Queen quickly realized that. To help their image, the title of “the Monarchy” was slowly replaced by the less rigid “Royal Family”. Their efforts to humanize themselves went as far as allowing a BBC crew to film the inside of their home for a documentary where they could be seen doing everyday activities. The film brought back the idea that the Royals were normal people.
More recently Elizabeth maintained the integrity of the crown during what she has called their “annus horribilis” consisting of all the events of 1992. Windsor Castle was both metaphorically and physically on fire given that three of her four children went against the royal standard by divorcing their spouses and the castle was literally set ablaze, destroying 115 rooms and causing £36.5 million in repairs.
The early 2000s saw tensions ease for the Royals, Elizabeth celebrated her 50th year on the throne in ‘02 and the resulting “Golden Jubilee” saw England rejoice. Prince Charles’ marriage to Camilla Parker Bowels in ‘05 went over well with the public, and the world regained interest in royal life with the marriage of Prince William (Elizabeth’s eldest grandson) to Katherine Middleton. Despite the challenges she faced in her final years including Covid-19 and the death of her husband in the spring of 2021, the Queen’s impact on the world has not diminished nor does it seem like it ever will. The amazing floral memorial surrounding Buckingham Palace serves as a small reminder of the influence Elizabeth left as the powerful, hardworking, and well-loved monarch who carried the Royal Family through to the modern ages.