The Death of a Legend: Queen Elizabeth

On September 8, 2022, Queen Elizabeth II died under medical supervision in Balmoral Castle, located in Scotland. The queen’s death shook millions of subjects in the United Kingdom, including her own son, Charles III, who immediately took over as king after her demise. In a statement, Charles III called his mother’s death “a moment of the greatest sadness for me and all members of my family, adding “I know her loss will be deeply felt throughout the country, the Realms and the Commonwealth, and by countless people around the world.” However, in order to understand the gravity of this situation, one must learn more about the illustrious life of the queen and the wonders she has accomplished in keeping a firm rule over Great Britain for the past 70 years. 

Queen Elizabeth was born in Mayfair, London as the firstborn of the Duke and Duchess of York. Her father was a notable man for an interesting reason, he had trouble speaking in public addresses and always stammered, creating a bad impression of him as king. However, with help from Lionel Logue, he overcame this habit and radically changed his presentation, and gained respect from the citizens of Great Britain. Elizabeth was educated privately in her own home and stayed in Britain during the second world war, giving her first public broadcast at the age of 14 in 1940. Elizabeth spoke, “We are trying to do all we can to help our gallant sailors, soldiers, and airmen, and we are trying, too, to bear our own share of the danger and sadness of war. We know, every one of us, that in the end, all will be well." Eventually, Elizabeth gained more experience by taking part in her parent’s duties and was married to Prince Phillip of Greece and Denmark, who gave up his Greek and Danish titles to marry into Queen Elizabeth’s family. Elizabeth partook in many different events in her life such as defeating the Spanish Armada and saving England from invasion, reinstating Protestantism, and forging an England that became a strong and independent nation. Elizabeth also gave many notable addresses during the COVID pandemic, encouraging people to fight through and mentioning, “We will meet again”, a line that empowered citizens of England and beyond to power through the pandemic, which is improving and joining people with their families once again. 

However, in the past few years, Queen Elizabeth has incurred major losses that may have impacted her health in recent times. Some of these losses include the passing of her husband, who passed away on April 9, 2021. Unfortunately, the Queen is no longer with us, but by honoring her memory and her inspiring rule as queen, we can ensure that her legacy lives on for many generations to come.