This past Thursday, September 8, Queen Elizabeth II passed away in Balmoral Castle, Scottish Highlands. Her 70 years and 214 days of reign were the second-longest of any monarch of a sovereign state and the longest of any British monarch. She held the title of monarch in 15 of the 32 sovereign states where she governed as queen regnant during her lifetime. For someone who never intended to become queen, she had a very long and iconic reign as England’s 61st monarch.
Elizabeth II was born in 1926. Before her uncle, King Edward VIII, renounced the throne in 1936, Elizabeth had little hope of inheriting the throne. When her father, King George VI passed away, 25-year-old Elizabeth was asked to take the throne, beginning a historic reign. Queen Elizabeth’s coronation was the first televised live at Westminster Abbey. Out of the 36 million people living in the United Kingdom, about 27 million watched the ceremony on television, while 11 million listened to it on the radio.
“She was an important representative of female power in monarchy,” said junior Avital Abramov.
When Queen Elizabeth visited Santa Barbara in 1983, there was heavy rain, and rough waves. Meeting on President Reagan’s ranch, she visited the Santa Barbara Courthouse and walked through the Sunken Gardens. Plans to go horseback riding were canceled due to the weather, but that did not stop the Queen and the President from spending time together.
The Platinum Jubilee of Elizabeth II was the title of the 2022 global event honoring the 70th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation on February 6th, 1952. It took place at the end of her reign, a year before she passed away. In order to establish the four-day Platinum Jubilee Central Weekend from Thursday, June 2nd, to Sunday, June 5th, there was an additional bank holiday in the United Kingdom on June 3rd and the typical spring bank holiday was moved from the end of May to June 2nd.
The United Kingdom has been in mourning since the Queen’s recent passing. There will be at least 10 days of solemn ceremonies, and the London Stock Exchange will be closed on the day of the Queen’s funeral. Schools will be closed, and most businesses will likely give their staff the day off. King Charles III will succeed Queen Elizabeth, and we can expect to see Prince William, Prince Harry’s brother, who currently resides in Santa Barbara, as his heir.
