On September 8th Britain’s longest-reigning monarch Queen Elizabeth II died at Balmoral Castle in Scotland after ruling for 70 years. The queen’s death came at an unstable time in British politics, with a recent scandal-induced change of prime minister and soaring energy, food, and fuel costs. A 2021 ballot taken across England, Scotland, and Wales showed a 70% approval rating for Queen Elizabeth, but only 50% of respondents thought favorably of her son and heir Charles, now King Charles III. However, her death and the accession of Charles to the throne changed public perceptions about the monarchy remains to be seen. Beyond the United Kingdom, 14 countries (previously British colonies) still consider the British monarch their head of state.
What could the queen’s death mean for Britain's newly elected prime minister Liz Truss as she takes office and forms her agenda?
Just a few days before her death, Queen Elizabeth II swore Liz Truss in as the fifteenth prime minister of her long reign. Truss is now the country's prime minister, which makes her ultimately responsible for all policy choices (economic, financial, social). Truss has assumed leadership of a nation that is struggling economically due to the COVID pandemic and Brexit, with many people predicting a protracted recession.
Through her numerous public appearances, including her yearly televised Christmas speeches and Queen's Speech to parliament, the queen consistently provided a voice of hope and solace in both happy and unhappy circumstances.
Liz Truss, who took office following a series of scandals involving her predecessor Boris Johnson, must respond fast to the nation's many difficulties, including spiking inflation and soaring food and fuel prices. According to sources, King Charles III may not be as politically unbiased as his mother was, which is unfortunate for her. In recent years, he has delivered a number of speeches calling for action on climate change, and he has lately criticized former Prime Minister Boris Johnson's immigration policy. It remains to be seen whether the possibly feisty new monarch will get in Truss' way as she lays out the policies of her ministry.
What do other country leaders have to say about the death of the queen?
Presidents, prime ministers, monarchs, and leaders around the world have paid tribute to the life and service of Queen Elizabeth II, many of them reflecting on a 70-year reign that encompassed some of the most turbulent and decisive moments in modern British and world history.
As Thursday wore on and news of the Queen’s ill-health eventually gave way to news of her death, global figures spoke of what she had meant to them and their countries.
“Queen Elizabeth II was the rock on which modern Britain was built. Our country has grown and flourished under her reign. Britain is the great country it is today because of her,” Prime Minister Liz Truss said after the news was announced.
Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson tweeted, “This is our country’s saddest day. In the hearts of every one of us, there is an ache at the passing of our Queen, a deep and personal sense of loss far more intense, perhaps, than we expected.”
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau gave a speech in Vancouver shortly after the Queen’s death. “She was our Queen for almost half of Canada’s existence and she had an obvious, deep, and abiding love and affection for Canadians,” Trudeau said. “She served us all with strength and wisdom for 70 years as we grew into the diverse, optimistic, responsible, ambitious, and extraordinary country we are today.” King Charles III succeeds his mother as the head of the state of Canada.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of Australia, where the Queen was also head of state, paid tribute to the“sympathy and kindness” that the Queen had shown to Australians.
In Pakistan, President Dr. Arif Alvi revered the late monarch as the “greatest and most beneficent ruler”
The future of the monarchy
King Charles III is 73 years old and is the oldest figure to become a British monarch. According to sources, It will be “interesting” to see how he will be viewed by the British people, the vast majority of whom have never known life without the queen as their sovereign.
Queen Elizabeth was extremely popular with the vast majority of the people, but with her now gone we may see a rekindling of the debate there between republicans and monarchists, and possibly another referendum, like the one that country had in 1999. We may see similar political dramas in New Zealand, Canada, and across the Caribbean.
King Charles III has had a checkered past in the public eye. The intense British media’s scrutiny that followed his 1994 admission of an extra-marital affair with Camilla Parker Bowles (now his wife and Queen Consort) along with his acrimonious 1996 divorce from the much-adored Princess Diana tarnished his image and that of the royal family.
Most British citizens claim that It is hard to imagine Britain without Queen Elizabeth II partly because almost everyone has only known it with her. She died at the age of 96 having come to the throne at the age of 25. The end of her reign will be marked with superlatives. She featured on more currencies than any other living figure. Hers was perhaps the most reproduced image in history.
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