Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Mountbatten-Windsor
(April 21, 1926 – September 8, 2022)
On September 8, 2022, the world changed. Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain died, and though I was largely unaware of it throughout the day, the news struck me late that night. I had been at work with no way of knowing; I only have a flip phone, and no one mentioned it. I assumed it would be another mundane day, eager to return home and start my weekend. But past midnight, when I finally logged onto Twitter, I learned the news: the Queen was gone.
I was surprised. Her mother had lived to 101, and I thought she might do the same. Earlier in the day, I’d read a post saying the Queen was “resting comfortably” at Balmoral under medical supervision. Someone had replied that “resting comfortably” was code for the end. I hoped they were wrong, but alas, it was not to be. Death comes to us all, yet I could not imagine the world without her. I am still in my thirties, and she had reigned my entire life.
Because of the historical weight of her passing, I wanted to write this tribute. Others will pen far more eloquent reflections, but in my own words I hope to honor her memory and share what I have indirectly learned from her life.
By the time I was born in 1986, she had already been on the throne for 34 years. Growing up in the United States, I was largely indifferent to the monarchy. World history didn’t interest me until much later. The first time the Queen entered my awareness was after the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, in 1997.
I was 11 and knew little of Diana, but the television coverage was everywhere. On September 5, I remember watching the Queen’s live speech addressing the loss. She said:
“We have all been trying in our different ways to cope. It is not easy to express a sense of loss, since the initial shock is often succeeded by a mixture of other feelings: disbelief, incomprehension, anger, and concern for those who remain. We have all felt those emotions in these last few days. So, what I say to you now, as your Queen and as a grandmother, I say from my heart.”
Then she paid tribute to Diana as “an exceptional and gifted human being” whose smile, warmth, and devotion to her sons touched millions.
I watched from my room that afternoon, sensing this was history in the making. That was the first time I ever saw and heard the Queen speak.
For years afterward, I remained unaware of royal affairs. Then one Sunday in 2002, I came across a rebroadcast of the four-part PBS documentary “The Windsors: A Royal Family.” With little else on, I watched it all and I was captivated.
I learned how the family had German roots, prompting the change from “Saxe-Coburg-Gotha” to “Windsor” during World War I.
I saw how Edward VIII abdicated to marry Wallis Simpson, and how George VI overcame insecurity and a stammer to lead Britain through its darkest days. His death saddened me, and I found myself believing he was one of Britain’s greatest kings.
Soon after, I watched “Bertie & Elizabeth," a television film about George VI and his wife. Together, these sparked a deeper interest in the monarchy. Without books of my own, I turned to the internet, but years later I found “Elizabeth the Queen: The Life of a Modern Monarch” by Sally Bedell Smith at a library book sale for two dollars. Though I have not yet read it, I still intend to.
Around that time, I also saw The Queen (2006) starring Helen Mirren. Later, I bought it on DVD. Watching it helped me see Elizabeth not just as a monarch, but as a human being carrying the weight of history.
My respect for her grew even more when “The Crown” premiered in 2016.
Written by Peter Morgan, who also scripted The Queen, the series dramatized her reign with nuance and power.
One scene stood out above all: Queen Mary’s letter to her granddaughter upon George VI’s death. She wrote:
This struck me as a lesson about self-control: principles must guide us above emotions. The sovereign exists to embody stability, stoicism, and impartiality when the world falters. That was Elizabeth’s burden and her greatness.
Even in a monarchy that owns all the power, one must remain impartial and dedicated to your duty to watch over your country. The Queen may not have particularly approved of certain people’s candid display of deep inner emotion; however, it was not hers or any Sovereign's duty to indulge in somewhat of a very biased subject. The Sovereign's purpose is to remain strong, focused, and unaffected in such profound and contentious circumstances and to serve as a guiding model through crises, but also understanding enough to adapt to the changes brought by time.
Another scene that stood out was in episode 4 when a thick fog had fallen over London, and Queen Elizabeth went to see her grandmother Queen Mary to ask for advice on to how handle the crisis she was facing. Queen Mary tells her:
“Monarchy is God’s sacred mission to grace and dignify
the earth, to give ordinary people an ideal to strive towards; an example of
nobility and duty to raise them in their wretched lives; monarchy is a calling
from God.
That’s why you are crowned in an Abbey not in a government building, you are anointed, not appointed. It’s an archbishop that puts the crown on your head, not a minister or public servant, which means you are answerable to God in your duty, not the public.”
I liked this scene because of the way that Queen Mary, with her knowledge and breadth of experience, explained the necessity of a monarchy to her granddaughter. There were those who looked up to Queen Elizabeth II as a role model. I believe that she truly lived up to this view. I am saddened the Queen was the last or few left of the traditions, manners of her time and I do not see this role model quality or restraint in anyone else, except for King Felipe VI of Spain, who I also greatly admire. I hope that Queen Elizabeth’s successors to the throne of England will be able to carry the standard that she set for herself.
Through dramatization and history alike, I came to see Queen Elizabeth II as a servant-leader. For seven decades she bore her role with grace, dignity, and a deep sense of duty. In times of war, crisis, and change, she remained a symbol of continuity. As Winston Churchill once said of George VI, he could also have said of her: her “conduct on the Throne may well be a model and a guide to constitutional sovereigns throughout the world today and also in future generations.”
She was not without flaws, but her service outweighed her failings. We may never see another like her.
Her passing, and the series that illuminated her reign, stirred in me the same instinct I feel with the Kennedys: to collect, to preserve, to learn. I long to build a library of monarchs’ biographies—from the Plantagenets to the Windsors—but practical limits of income and space restrain me. For now, I have only a few, including Elizabeth the Queen and The Heir Apparent: The Life of Edward VII. It is enough to begin.
I will not predict how Charles III will reign or whether the monarchy will endure. Such speculations are for others. Instead, I remember a pledge Princess Elizabeth made on her 21st birthday in Cape Town in 1947:
“I declare before you all that my whole life, whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service and the service of our great imperial family to which we all belong.”
Her Majesty fulfilled that pledge for seventy years. Under her scepter, the Crown always won.
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