On Thursday, Sept. 8, the longest reigning monarch of the modern world,
Elizabeth II, passed away at the age of 96. Having celebrated her Platinum Jubilee over the summer, marking 70 years on the throne, her death marks the end of an era, both in the United Kingdom and around the world, especially in the other fourteen additional countries remaining in the Commonwealth who recognize the British monarch as their ceremonial head of state. She was immediately succeeded by her eldest son Charles, who chose the title King Charles III.
Buckingham Palace announced her passing at 6:30 pm GMT concluding an afternoon of speculation which began when the royal family issued a statement that the Queen’s doctors were “concerned for [her] health.” The announcement activated “Operation London Bridge,” the plan for the transition of power and funeral plans, the details of which were leaked publicly by The Guardian in 2017. As per the plan, all major broadcast television and radio stations halted their normal programs to announce the news, although many had already switched to rolling coverage in anticipation of the announcement.
Although she held an entirely ceremonial role and held little to no political power, Queen Elizabeth II’s death comes at an already significant time of transition in the UK. Just two days before, Conservative Party leader and former forign secretary Liz Truss succeeded the controversial Boris Johnson as Prime Minister. According to Politico, before Sept. 8, “Inflation in the U.K. was hovering above 10 percent, and energy bills were set to rise by 80 percent in less than four weeks’ time. Millions of households would be unable to pay.” Britain also continues to deal with the effects of their exit from the European Union in 2020. The required national “period of morning” interrupts Truss’s plans to cut taxes and aggressively attempt to solve the energy crisis, as legislation cannot be passed until after the period is up.
On top of that, in the last year, nationalist parties in Scotland and Northern Ireland have won pluralities in their independent parlements, raising questions on if the union between the four major countries that make up the U.K. can survive the death of their figurehead. The Queen was considered a major unifying factor in her country both by forign leaders such as Emmanuel Macron, president of France and by critics such as the Scottish nationalist newspaper, The Nationalist. The fact that she died in her Scottish castle, Balmoral, could make that question more pertinent to the Scottish than ever. As of the time of writing, the Queen’s body is lying in state in Edinburgh, where thousands are expected to pay their respects in the coming days. Elizabeth II’s death could also cause political changes across the globe. Considered by critics of the monarchy to be an outdated reminder of colonial crimes committed by the British Empire, some Commonwealth countries which are still considered constitutional monarchies are considering cutting ties with their British connections. According to Damien Cave, writing for the New York Times, “On Saturday, the prime minister of Antigua and Barbuda announced plans to hold a referendum on becoming a republic within three years. In Australia, the Bahamas, Belize, Canada and Jamaica, debates that have simmered for years about their democracies’ ties to a distant kingdom have started to heat up again.” On the other hand, New Zealand’s leader Jacinda Ardern, while admitting that an independent republic is “where New Zealanders will head in time,” said there was a lack of urgency currently to get it done. Some anti-monarchists in the UK itself are continuing to call for the dissolution of the monarchy as well, though, like the Scottish independence debate, their cause is also complicated by the recency of the regency’s passing. Whatever the results of this historic event, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II will be remembered as an iconic figure and as a symbol of Britain for a long time to come.
