That individual was the last of her type. It’s safe to say that there has never been and never will be another queen in Britain or the globe like Queen Elizabeth. Elizabeth Windsor passed away on Thursday in the same dignified, obedient, and royal manner she had lived her long and eventful life.
After a remarkable 70-year reign, longer than any other British king or queen, she passed away at 96. During her reign, the United Kingdom and a diminishing number of its former colonies were unified under a single monarchy.
She entered a world where aristocracy was still respected. Her passing at Scotland’s Balmoral Castle comes as other European royals have been exiled from their palaces or reduced to what British courtiers deride as “cycling monarchs,” riding bicycles through Scandinavian capitals like ordinary citizens while trying not to be a bother.
What Lines Did Elizabeth Tell For Prince Philip?
Queen Elizabeth II, with the support of her late husband and critical adviser, Prince Philip, updated the British monarchy while preserving its traditional trappings. In a now-famous radio address from 1947, when she was still merely heir to the throne, she vowed to her future subjects: “my whole life, whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service.”
She made her debut on Twitter in 2014, introducing visitors to an exhibit on the Information Age at London’s Science Museum. No one could ever replace them in terms of status and durability. Charles, her heir, is 73 years old, while Prince William, his heir, is already 40.
Neither one of them seems to have her iron will. Royal family members of the United Kingdom will soon be seen riding bicycles. During her seven decades on the throne, Elizabeth has “never put a foot wrong,” according to commentators. That, however, is not the case. She made several blunders, some very big ones, but she got beyond them and learned from them.
Prince Charles’s Wedding Is A Public Affair
In the early 1990s, when Prince Charles‘s marriage to Princess Diana was imploding in the most public way possible, I was The Post’s London bureau chief. The royal family’s calm facade persisted for too long as Princess Anne’s and Prince Andrew’s respective marriages fell apart. It didn’t help that Windsor Castle, the queen’s preferred residence, was severely destroyed in a fire.
What Did Elizabeth Do After Diana’s Death?
There was some discussion among experts as to whether or not the royal family was still worthwhile. I wrote an article titled “Britain’s Teflon monarchy finds life a touch sticky” to describe the current state of affairs. Still, the monarch eventually faced the music. She referred to 1992 as an “annus horribilis” in a speech commemorating 40 years on the throne.
She was OK with Charles and Diana splitting up and eventually divorcing. She had to face that such a thing was not meant to occur in the royal family, much less to the heir apparent. Elizabeth made arguably her biggest blunder in 1997, shortly after Diana’s untimely death. Her initial stoniness was misinterpreted as unfeeling and coldhearted.
With Whom Tony Blair Returned From Scotland To Buckingham Palace?
With the encouragement of her advisors, including former Prime Minister Tony Blair, she returned to Buckingham Palace from Scotland, conducted a highly public walkabout to inspect the mound of flowers and teddy bears left at the palace gates, and delivered a brief address expressing sorrow and grief.
That wasn’t how her education had prepared her to expect a queen to act. But that was necessary for that situation. I once had the opportunity to attend an inauguration, the palace ceremony at which the queen gave knighthoods and other honors to the great and the good. When I first laid eyes on her, I was shocked by how small she was.
“Queen Elizabeth has died peacefully today at the age of 96.”
Black Twitter: pic.twitter.com/IVt4dMuMUO
— Fronosuke Takeshita ⛔ STROUD 4 HEISMAN (@MillyBeamen) September 8, 2022
Tony Blair Had The First Global Powerhouse
This woman, who had been a global powerhouse since before I was born (Winston Churchill was her first prime minister), seemed tiny in the glorious setting she had created for herself. Her speech was weak and slurred, making it difficult to understand her. However, she did have an aura that made the huge space feel like it was hers alone.
After giving it some thought, I realized that the queen was not the source of this air of dominance. The audience imagined that this was how she felt. Thus, the British royal family retains its outmoded status and privilege in today’s egalitarian society.
To believe in the divine right of a mainly German dynasty to rule the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth, Elizabeth’s subjects had to suspend any potential disbelief in her character, stamina, and talent. How much faith do they plan to put in Charles? On William‘s part?
King Louis XV of France is rumored to have said, “Après Moi, le déluge” (after me, the flood) decades before the French Revolution. The British monarchy will face rising waters after Elizabeth and have to fight to stay afloat.