By: Joseph Leon
On the 8th of September, 2022. At 6:30 p.m. local time. The queen of the United Kingdom, Elizabeth II died peacefully in Balmoral Castle at the age of 96.
England’s longest serving monarch was born on April 21, 1926 in Burton Street, London, in the United Kingdom. Inheriting the throne from her father King George VI, who inherited it from his brother Edward VIII who abdicated in his favor. Her education would be supervised by her mother and she would spend her childhood studying constitutional history and law, religion, and different languages and arts, all in preparation of her future station.
Her service to her country would begin before she would be crowned queen. During World War II, when she was 18 years old, she joined the British military against her father’s wishes as part of the Auxiliary Territorial Service as a truck mechanic at the rank of Second Subaltern. After five months of service she was promoted to the rank of Junior Commander, and on Victory in Europe day she would join the ecstatic crowds and celebrations on the streets of London. In 1947, after meeting each other years before, Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip, her third cousin and member of the House of Glücksburg and Mountbatten would marry on the 20th of November. Upon the death of King George VI, these two would ascend to the heads of the commonwealth and Elizabeth’s reign would finally begin at the age of 25, crowned on February 6, 1952.
A large part of her career as queen was to remain a figurehead that every British citizen could look up to and admire, spending her time as monarch inspiring and giving hope to her subjects as well as guiding the declining empire to stability.
When she was crowned, the British Empire was on a steady decline. Maintaining control of its many colonies proved far too expensive and unruly, with some colonies beginning to declare their independence and the Second World War bringing the nation to the brink, something had to be done in order to keep Britain’s relevancy on the world stage. All of this fell onto Queen Elizabeth to ensure the Commonwealth of Nations remained united and stable. The Commonwealth is an international association made up of the United Kingdom and different states and countries formerly part of the British Empire. Queen Elizabeth would take many strides to ensure her vision of a prosperous Commonwealth built on friendship, loyalty, freedom, and peace came to pass. Erecting a monument in the honor of volunteer fighters who served in World War II who came from various Commonwealth nations during her Golden Jubilee. She would attend all but one Heads of Government Meetings, and be very involved with keeping good relations with the other Commonwealth members. With every attendance, and every visit she would contribute the Commonwealth’s growth and development, from 8 nations in 1949, to 54 in 2022. Her life would be filled with actions that embodied compassion and human kindness. From her visit to west Berlin (a city in great turmoil being divided between the western allied powers and the Soviet Union) in support of its freedom in 1965, to her travels to over 117 countries, to her support of over 600 charities targeted toward the arts, the support of veterans, children, and animals. These actions would have her well regarded as one of the most famous people of the last decade.
When the Queen’s death was announced in the United Kingdom life seemed to come to a halt. Large public events such as the UK Premier football games, boxing, cycling, and even musical concerts would be halted in a moment of remembrance and tribute to the life of Queen Elizabeth. Operation London Bridge has begun to take effect and preparation for her funeral and the eventual coronation of her eldest son King Charles III are under way as the nation enters a time of mourning. Citizens gathered at the gates of Balmoral Castle to leave flowers and thank you letters to Her Majesty and many world leaders have made statements professing their condolences to the royal family and the people of the United Kingdom. Queen Elizabeth II showed great compassion, duty, and wisdom in the service of her people and will be missed by people around the world and remembered by many as one of the greatest leaders to grace the world stage.