On September 8, 2022, Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland died. She was a bridge to the UK’s past, having served as a mechanic in WWII and as Queen since her coronation in 1953.
Her death represents not only the end of a stable and consistent monarch, but also of the cultural spirit that was post-World War II Britain, and the entrance into a new, modern era. Her death will make many countries reconsider having the British monarch as their head of state. It could also inspire the UK to end the monarchy altogether, something ongoing anti-monarchy movements have been hoping for. Many world leaders, including US President Biden, attended her funeral on September 19. In her life Queen Elizabeth II accomplished many things. She worked as a mechanic in WWII, and appointed fifteen prime ministers. Queen Elizabeth first appointed Winston Churchills Prime Minister, and appointed Liz Truss just two days before her death. Truss was born 101 years after Churchill was born. During the coronavirus pandemic she gave a speech to the Commonwealth, famously saying, “We will see our friends again, we will see our families again, we will meet again.” She made the monarchy more transparent to the public and began a tradition of yearly Christmas broadcasts by television. She also encouraged climate action at COP26—the climate summit “Conference of the Parties”—in Glasgow last year. She oversaw the dissolution of the British Empire and the UK’s weakening as a global power. Queen Elizabeth was loyal in the service to her country—even as the monarchy became weaker and less important. Many countries mourned her death in a variety of ways. President Biden ordered the US flag to be flown at half-mast within the United States, and the same was done in France and across the world. Here at IHS, the American flag was also flown at half-mast to honor the Queen’s death. France turned off the lights of the Eiffel Tower. In the UK, all radio broadcasts were stopped to announce and cover the death of the Queen. Most television channels also shifted coverage, and the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) halted its broadcast of comedy shows for the ten day mourning period.
Some countries may take steps to preserve Queen Elizabeth’s status over that of the newly-crowned King Charles. Canada’s Royal Canadian Mint has yet to announce it will change its coins, and the Bank of Canada, which issues Canada’s paper currency, has not stated if the Canadian twenty dollar bill will be changed. It is currently the only bill in Canada with the Queen’s image. No law in Canada requires the currency to be changed. New Zealand will be changing to King Charles on its coinage, but has not issued new twenty dollar notes, and has stated it likely will not for a few years.
There are ongoing efforts in Australia to have a referendum to remove King Charles as the head of state and to become a republic. There is a stronger effort in Jamaica to do so. Heads of government across the Caribbean have declared that there will be a referendum to decide on whether to remove King Charles as head of state. Overall, Queen Elizabeth’s death could significantly change Britain’s influence in the world.