Queen Elizabeth ll’s Lasting Legacy

Elizabeth Alexandrea Mary Windsor, more commonly known as Queen Elizabeth ll, recently passed away on September 8th 2022. Queen Elizabeth was England’s longest serving monarch and made an impact that will last many lifetimes. Queen Elizabeth II not only impacted England, but the world. Some of the Queen’s lasting legacy moments include serving in World War II, modernizing the monarchy, and impacting the commonwealth. 

The Queen’s coronation was held at Westminster Abbey on June 2, 1953 where she became the Queen of the United Kingdom and other commonwealth realms. The commonwealth of nations is a political association of 56 member states,the majority of which are former territories of the British Empire. Queen Elizabeth II was crowned Queen at the age of 25 and after ruling the monarchy for 70 years, she died at age 96. On September 8th 2022, the Queen passed in Balmoral Castle in Scotland. She had died by 4:30 P.M. BST, and two hours later at 6:30 BST her death was publicly announced. 

During World War II, Queen Elizabeth felt a sense of duty. Elizabeth wanted to enlist as soon as she came of age, but the royal family couldn’t allow the heir to the throne to be put in possible danger. In 1945, at the age of 18, Elizabeth did not take no for an answer and was given permission to part take in the military effort. According to an article by Grunge, Elizabeth joined the Women’s Auxiliary Territory Service (ATS), and trained for six weeks as an auto mechanic. Not only was she the first female of the Royal family to be an active duty member of the British Armed Forces, but she was also the last surviving head of state to have served during the Second World War according to an article by The National WWII Museum. When the war ended a celebration was held and the Queen categorized it as, “one of the most memorable nights of [her] life.”

Modern day technology is something that influences every person in the world, and the British monarchy is no different. As new technology was invented, the monarchy needed to adjust to fit the modern day lifestyle. Queen Elizabeth realized that the royal family needed to seem more approachable, so she started to appear on television more regularly and spoke directly to the people. As the Queen embraced new technology, she sent out the first royal Tweet in 2014, according to an article by Forbes. She was also the first monarch to record her annual Christmas message on film. Along with that, she accepted the fact that at an older age it was okay to still get married as it became more popular in the modern world. She approved many divorces among the royal family as well, according to an article by Grunge. Queen Elizabeth not only embraced new developments in technology, but modernized the monarchy to fit the modern standards.  

The Queen played a very important role in the commonwealth. Her leadership in the commonwealth impacted the world, as her actions speak louder than her words. In 1961, the Queen visited the former British colony of Ghana, which had recently gained its independence a few years earlier in 1957. According to an article by NBC News, “…she was filmed dancing with the country’s leader, Kwame Kkrumah, at a time when segregation still existed in the U.S.” One historian said, “A man could not have done it. Here is our president, being respected enough by the Queen of England for her to put her arms around him.” The commonwealth joined people together across the globe with reinforced links by the Queen, making her actions respected by many people across the world. The Queen’s leadership in the commonwealth will be looked upon for not only years, but lifetimes. 

In conclusion, Queen Elizabeth II not only impacted England, but the world. Her actions speak louder than words with her participation in World War II, her modernization of the monarchy, and her important leadership in the commonwealth.