On September 8, 2022, after 70 years on the throne, Queen Elizabeth II passed away at the Balmoral Castle in Scotland at age 96. As the world continues to mourn, it is time we take a look back on the life of the longest-serving monarch in the history of the United Kingdom.
On February 6, 1952, upon the death of her father, King George VI, Queen Elizabeth II became the Queen of England. At that time, Harry Truman was President of the United States, and Winston Churchill was the Prime Minister of England. Including Truman, the Queen ruled during the administration of 14 presidents, meeting all but Lydon B. Johnson. Furthermore, she reigned through the Cold War and the fall of the Soviet Union and acted as an anchor during the tumultuous end of the 20th century.
In the United Kingdom and all over the world, she symbolized stability during a time when power seemed to shift so quickly. For many, she was the only monarch in England they had ever lived under, and it is estimated that only 20 percent of today’s UK population was alive before she rose to power. Despite her old age, her death came as a shock to many around the world, and over 10 million US viewers as well as 27 million people in the UK, tuned in to watch her funeral held on Monday, September 19.
Upon her death, her son King Charles III rose to the throne after serving as the heir apparent for the longest time in British history. Charles III, 73, is the oldest person to assume the British throne, and with this, his eldest son, William, Prince of Wales, now becomes the next heir apparent. As the globe watches the first transfer of power since 1952 in the most important monarchy in the world, it is evident that a new chapter of history is upon us, an exciting and intriguing prospect.
