The Queen’s death marks an end of an era. She was the longest reigning monarch in British history with over 70 years of rule under her belt. The announcement of her death sent shockwaves around the world.
Most importantly, the royal family has been rocked for seventy years, the monarch has also been the matriarch of the family. As they mourn their loss, they also prepare for the crowning of the new King.
The news of the Queen’s death has rocked the entire world. The long-reigning monarch who ruled the United Kingdom and beyond for over 70 years took her final breaths last night in her Scottish castle, Balmoral.
Coronated in June 1953, Elizabeth II has been the only monarch most Britons have ever known in their lifetimes. Her passing truly represents the end of an era: Elizabeth has seen the nation through seven decades of history, serving as a beacon of stability during turbulent times, all the way back to World War II.
The news of her death was not entirely surprising, in fact, the public was somewhat eased into it. On the morning of her passing, there were reports that the Queen’s health was failing. In a palace statement, doctors said they were “concerned” about her health.
When the news of her declining health was made public, and the fact that most members of the family rushed to be by her side, it was clear that the Queen was about to depart this world.
While funeral plans have not been officially announced, the plans have been meticulously set for years. The Queen’s funeral will definitely be a stately affair, befitting the longest reigning monarch in modern history.
After her passing, her oldest son, Charles, is next in line for the throne, and her death marks his accession to King of England — the first new English monarch in 70 years.
During her 70-year-reign, she was arguably the most famous woman in the world. The Queen’s legacy will live on for the life she lived, in service for her people.
It is also difficult to overstate how much history she embodied in her nearly century of life: she was England’s figurehead through nearly all of the nations major moments of the 20th and 21st centuries, from WWII to Brexit.
She held meetings with 15 different prime ministers, from Winston Churchill all the way to the newly-appointed Liz Truss.
Apart from being Queen, she was also a mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, in her personal life. The royal family was not immune from family drama and politics. Unfortunately for them, the rifts in their family always seemed to make headlines.
After Prince Harry married Meghan Markle, the news of tensions in the family were rife. Things progressively got worse, and in 2020, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle first announced their stepping down from senior royal duties.
The couple initially hoped to retain their titles and take on fewer official duties and work on becoming financially independent. The statement they released said they hoped to “carve out a progressive new role within this institution”.
Their announcement, however, was not taken well by Buckingham Palace. Soon, palace officials announced that Harry and Meghan would no longer receive public funds for royal duties and would no longer be representing the queen in an official category.
In March 2020, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex completed their final commitments in terms of their royal duties.
Their wishes to become financially independent did not exactly pan out the way that they had hoped. In a widely publicized interview with Oprah Winfrey, the couple bared it all.
Prince Harry said his family had financially cut him off completely. He said in the first quarter of 2020, he received no money from his family and had to use the money his mother, the late Princess Diana had left behind to provide security for his family.
The couple’s announcement to renounce their titles was a long time coming, according to them. In their interview with Oprah Winfrey, the former royals revealed their time working as senior royals and the toll it took on them; especially on Meghan.
Meghan Markle told a very concerned Oprah that at some points she had even been suicidal. She considered in-patient care for herself but was met with resistance from Buckingham Palace as she was told that it “wouldn’t be good for the institution.”