Justina's Writing Corner

Elizabeth II was Queen of the United Kingdom (England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland) and other Commonwealth realms from Feb. 6, 1952, until her death on Sept. 8, 2022. She was the queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during her lifetime and 15 at the time of her death. In Sept. 2015, Queen Elizabeth surpassed the record of 63 years and 216 days on the throne set by Queen Victoria (the Queen’s great-great-grandmother) and became the longest-reigning British monarch in history. She reigned as queen for 70 years and 214 days, the longest reign of any British monarch and the longest reign of any female sovereign in history. 

Queen Elizabeth II was just 27 years old when she was crowned Queen. At the time Queen Elizabeth II had already been serving as the head of the British royal family for 16 months and thus was prepared to take on the job as the Queen of England. Her coronation took place on June 2, 1953, at Westminster Abbey in London and was watched by millions of people in the United Kingdom. More than tens of millions of people in the United States were also watching her coronation.

The Queen was extremely popular for nearly all of her long reign. She was best known for taking a serious interest in government and political affairs, like establishing friendly connections with foreign countries and inside the 32 sovereign states under her control. Apart from her ceremonial duties, she was credited with modernizing many aspects of the monarchy and offering stability for 70 years through maintaining foreign relationships. Both China and America’s friendly connection was built by her during the Queen’s reign as stated by the British Foreign Policy Group. She offered stability with foreign connections for 70 years and will be always remembered for her calm nature and dignity.

The Queen is not only someone that many Britons looked up to before, she is also a role model for many women around the world, such as First Lady Jill Biden, as stated in The White House. Unlike her predecessors, she brought the monarchy into the public eye much more and allowed ordinary people to know more about the royal family. In the United States alone, there are many movies about the Queen for the public to watch. For example, the documentary movie Elizabeth showcased in 2022. Thus, increasing the popularity of the royal family and herself. 

The Queen has always been a respectable figure to the public, not only to Britons but also to the broader population. She has been a role model for many women by being hardworking and independent, and I too am inspired by her since I admire strong women. Even though some people don’t love the notion of royalty because they believe that members of royalty are born with privilege and know nothing of hard work, I believe that it is more about what they do after the fact to prove their worth as a member of the royal family. 

Without her rule, the world would have been a different place for everyone, without the peace brought by the Queen, there may be many devastating wars. Thus, it is important for us to acknowledge her accomplishments and contributions to the public and pay our respect to her.