Is this the end of a chapter? Tradition, majesty, discretion, faith, empire, class, medals, titles, church, uniform and Corgis: without the Queen, will all this be swept away?
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Steadfast Queen passes 70-year milestone
Is this the end of a chapter? Tradition, majesty, discretion, faith, empire, class, medals, titles, church, uniform and Corgis: without the Queen, will all this be swept away?
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On February 5th 1952, Princess Elizabeth went to sleep in a giant treehouse after a day filming baboons and elephants on a camcorder. By the time she woke up, her father George VI was dead. The princess had become a queen.
Today, Elizabeth II is still on the throne. This weekend, she celebrated seventy years' rule - the first British monarch ever to reach the milestone. Yesterday, tributes poured in. Prince Charles described his mother as "remarkable". David Cameron praised her "dignified" leadership. Keir Starmer celebrated her "unparalleled public service".
In a statement, the Queen thanked her subjects: "I remain eternally grateful for, and humbled by, the loyalty and affection that you continue to give me."
Preparations are underway for a Platinum JubileeMajor anniversaries of coronations and other public events are called jubilees, and named after materials of increasing value. Fifty years, for instance, is a golden jubilee. this June, a "once-in-a-generation show" that will mix "ceremonial splendour and pageantry with cutting edge artistic and technological displays" - as well as a bonus bank holiday.
The Queen is a beloved figure, widely respected for her constancy and composure in turbulent times. "I've always thought she should be called Elizabeth the Steadfast," historian Hugo Vickers says.
Yet while the Queen has remained a steady presence for seven decades, little else has been stable about Britain and its place in the world.
In 1952, the UK was at the centre of a global empire. Young Elizabeth's stay in a treehouse was part of a state visit to Kenya, one of many British colonies in Africa. But as she admired the wildlife, unrest in the country was growing. These were the first stirrings of the Mau Mau UprisingMau Mau was a militant organisation formed by Kenyans who had been deprived of their land by European settlers. When they rose up against their colonial rulers, British authorities responded by imprisoning millions in camps where many were tortured or died. against British rule.
Although this rebellion was brutally suppressed, Britain's days as an imperial power were numbered. One by one, states gained independence and the empire transitioned into a CommonwealthOfficially called the Commonwealth of Nations, it was set up in 1926. There are 54 members in all. It grew out of the British Empire and many members, although not all, were former British colonies. . Today, the future of even that much looser association is unsure. Just two months ago, BarbadosAn island nation in the Caribbean. Most of its inhabitants are the descendants of slaves who were traded under British rule. voted to become a republic, removing Elizabeth II as its head of state.
Internally, too, Britain has transformed. In 1952 the country was overwhelmingly White and Christian, with many traditions and cultures of class that had changed little since the beginning of the century. Today the UK is a multicultural society, with 13% of people belonging to a non-White ethnicity and only half of the population describing itself as Christian.
Elizabeth II has held weekly audiencesThe British monarch is supposed to always remain politically neutral, but does hold a weekly meeting with the prime minister when she can "advise and warn". The details of these meetings are strictly private. with 14 different prime ministers, who have changed the legal landscape of the UK. When she came to the throne, homosexuality was illegal and murderers were hanged. In 2022, gay marriage is legal and capital punishment is long banned.
Technology has affected many aspects of British culture, including the monarchy itself. The Queen's coronation broke new ground by being broadcast on the single black-and-white TV channel available at the time. In 2014, the Queen sent her first-ever tweet - another marker of how much has changed.
Even the very unity of the United Kingdom is today in doubt. Scottish politicians are pushing for another independence referendum, with polls regularly showing a lead for "yes". The future of Northern IrelandA small part of the island of Ireland that is one of the four nations of the UK. Northern Ireland has had a troubled history because of divisions between Protestants, who mostly identify with the UK, and Catholics, who would like to be part of the Republic of Ireland. hangs in the balance, its place in the union threatened by BrexitThe UK's departure from the European Union. and demographic changeNorthern Ireland currently has slightly more Protestants than Catholics, but the balance is likely to shift in the coming years. This could lead to calls for a referendum on Northern Ireland joining the Irish Republic..
"The Queen has been serenely out of step with this transformation," says sociologist Chris Rojek: "she is as anomalous as a ConstableJohn Constable was a 19th-century painter from Suffolk famous for his romantic, peaceful depictions of the British countryside. painting in a multimedia art installation gallery."
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Is this the end of a chapter?
Yes: The Queen is a relic of an outdated vision of Britain: a nation of pomp, tradition and stiff upper lips. Her calm presence has allowed this world to persist, but when she goes, Brits will have to confront who they are now.
No: The monarch is just a figurehead and the monarchy an empty spectacle. There's no reason why the Queen should reflect the realities of British life and nothing will change when she departs.
Or... The identity of a nation can never be captured by one individual or institution. The monarchy embodies just one among many competing versions of Britishness.
Keywords
Platinum Jubilee - Major anniversaries of coronations and other public events are called jubilees, and named after materials of increasing value. Fifty years, for instance, is a golden jubilee.
Mau Mau Uprising - Mau Mau was a militant organisation formed by Kenyans who had been deprived of their land by European settlers. When they rose up against their colonial rulers, British authorities responded by imprisoning millions in camps where many were tortured or died.
Commonwealth - Officially called the Commonwealth of Nations, it was set up in 1926. There are 54 members in all. It grew out of the British Empire and many members, although not all, were former British colonies.
Barbados - An island nation in the Caribbean. Most of its inhabitants are the descendants of slaves who were traded under British rule.
Weekly audiences - The British monarch is supposed to always remain politically neutral, but does hold a weekly meeting with the prime minister when she can "advise and warn". The details of these meetings are strictly private.
Northern Ireland - A small part of the island of Ireland that is one of the four nations of the UK. Northern Ireland has had a troubled history because of divisions between Protestants, who mostly identify with the UK, and Catholics, who would like to be part of the Republic of Ireland.
Brexit - The UK's departure from the European Union.
Demographic change - Northern Ireland currently has slightly more Protestants than Catholics, but the balance is likely to shift in the coming years. This could lead to calls for a referendum on Northern Ireland joining the Irish Republic.
Constable - John Constable was a 19th-century painter from Suffolk famous for his romantic, peaceful depictions of the British countryside.
Steadfast Queen passes 70-year milestone
Glossary
Platinum Jubilee - Major anniversaries of coronations and other public events are called jubilees, and named after materials of increasing value. Fifty years, for instance, is a golden jubilee.
Mau Mau Uprising - Mau Mau was a militant organisation formed by Kenyans who had been deprived of their land by European settlers. When they rose up against their colonial rulers, British authorities responded by imprisoning millions in camps where many were tortured or died.
Commonwealth - Officially called the Commonwealth of Nations, it was set up in 1926. There are 54 members in all. It grew out of the British Empire and many members, although not all, were former British colonies.
Barbados - An island nation in the Caribbean. Most of its inhabitants are the descendants of slaves who were traded under British rule.
Weekly audiences - The British monarch is supposed to always remain politically neutral, but does hold a weekly meeting with the prime minister when she can "advise and warn". The details of these meetings are strictly private.
Northern Ireland - A small part of the island of Ireland that is one of the four nations of the UK. Northern Ireland has had a troubled history because of divisions between Protestants, who mostly identify with the UK, and Catholics, who would like to be part of the Republic of Ireland.
Brexit - The UK's departure from the European Union.
Demographic change - Northern Ireland currently has slightly more Protestants than Catholics, but the balance is likely to shift in the coming years. This could lead to calls for a referendum on Northern Ireland joining the Irish Republic.
Constable - John Constable was a 19th-century painter from Suffolk famous for his romantic, peaceful depictions of the British countryside.