I have never ruled an entire Empire. I have never met 15 prime ministers and 14 American presidents. All because I am not Elizabeth II, who died on Sept. 8 at 96 years old.
I think the Queen should be respected because she led the monarchy in the right way. She was the head of the most famous royal family for 70 years and spent that time dedicated to the people. In light of her recent death, let us review the highlights of Queen Elizabeth’s life.
In February 1952, after her uncle’s abdication and her father’s death, she became Queen at 25. At that time, she was unexpected to take the throne, much less to become the longest reigning monarch in British history.
On June 2, 1953, her coronation was the first to be broadcast on television. People from all around the world were able to take the step towards a new era with her.
In 1961, Ghana, a British colony, was strengthening its ties with the USSR. Even if her safety was not guaranteed, her duty was more important. A queen has to reassure the people, so she went there to maintain a solid relationship of trust. Today, Ghana is still part of the Commonwealth.
In 1969, she allowed a documentary to be made about the royal family. Despite the criticism she received, it was a good initiative. She embodied the dream of both many little girls and the critics through living in a castle with domestics at her service.
However, she took advantage of modern technology: she invited people to feel closer to the royal family by following it from their home screen.
In 1957 and 2010, she delivered a speech in front of the General Assembly at the UN. She was devoted to ensuring peace, stability, representation and equality. As the queen, she supported a peaceful decolonization of the Asian and African British colonies, and kept a bond with them through the Commonwealth. In 2012, for the 60th anniversary of her coronation, she starred in a short video with Daniel Craig, which received 34 million views.
In 2016, BREXIT happened. Despite all the criticism levied against her neutral attitude, we cannot reproach it. As an honorable monarch, she had to represent and unite all the British people; she couldn’t take the risk to divide them.
Finally, I want to underline how fashionable she was. I think her style makes her special. For every occasion, she had a new colorful outfit. For her coronation, she wore an outfit with elements from every region of the Empire that had a message of unity. Then, for COVID-19, she wore a green dress as a message of hope in a dark world.
She fulfilled her role as the royal representative of England; she was not only the Queen of the Commonwealth, but also a figure of constancy at the international level. She led a modern royal family which evolved with its time and preserved a link with her subjects, especially the new ones. Queen Elizabeth II led the Commonwealth in a prosperous and successful way.
Photo via Flickr
