Nov

20

Elizabeth II, Queen of England – End of an Era?

Posted by maureen

November 20, 2006 |

From Elizabeth to Princess Diana and beyond. What is the future of the Royal Family? A view from both sides of the Pond. I was born on 20th November, 1947 which just happened to be the day that Elizabeth, the current Queen of England, married The Duke of Edinburgh. My dad purchased a TV, the first one on the street, especially for the wedding and all the neighbors huddled around the tiny screen to watch the event. Mom went into labor just as the ceremony began and stayed longer than she should have.The midwives at the nursing home scolded her for waiting too long. England was jubilant and the spectacle was only surpassed by the celebration of her coronation in 1953. An estimated three million people lined the streets to catch a glimpse of the new Queen going to and from Buckingham Palace in her golden coach. Our neighborhood, like hundreds across the country, held parties in the streets and gave souvenier mugs to the children to take home. They have now been married 59 years and have seen the reputation of the Royal Family as a whole decline. Growing up the royal family was treated with great admiration and respect and people in general loved their Queen and all the pomp and ceremony surrounding her and her family. As the official Head of State, she was the symbol of the power and prestige of the United Kingdom. But as I and her children grew up, public opinion definitely shifted. There were incidents concerning her children that were not viewed favorably and the English press were not afraid to express their disapproval. However, the countries political unrest and unemployment were forgotten for a day when Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer were married in St Paul’s Cathedral on July 29, 1981. The ceremony was televised and watched by some 700 million people throughout the world. Ironically, I watched the wedding on American TV and was astounded at the interest and reaction. The Americans loved the fairy tale and found the royal family fascinating . Perhaps for them it was like watching film stars and they could see the parallels between the royalty of Hollywood and the Royalty of England. After all, Americans do not pay for them nor are they threatened by them as they once were.The Britsh point of view was different since they no longer saw a need for the Monarchy and saw them as a financial burden. Indeed it wasn’t untill 1992 that the Queen offered to pay income tax and capital gains tax for the first time! Diana proved to be the best loved of all the royals (save the Queen Mother) and became one of the most famous women in the world. Diana appeared on the cover of People magazine more times than any other person. But it became clear that the marriage was in trouble and in December 1992 it was officially announced that they would divorce.Her untimely death in Paris in 1997 caused more contoversy. So what is the future for the Royal Family in England ?. The Royal family is wealthy beyond belief and still own many stately homes and castles with huge amounts of land. I toured Windsor Castle on a recent visit back to England and was struck by the enormity of the upkeep. Obviously they create huge sums of money in tourism each year and the Queen is paying some taxes, but even though she is the official head of state, the country is actually run by the government. The Republic of England just hasn’t been declared. The days are gone forever when their behavor was regarded as beyond reproach. Most of her countrymen see them for what they are, ordinary people born into an extrodinary life. The Queen celebrated her 80th birthday this year and shows no signs of abdicating. When she dies change is inevitable;evolution and public commentary will mean a changing of the guard forever. The House of Windsor will never be the same.

Some Great Links to learn more:

The Queen - a new movie about the events after Diana’s death

The Official Royal Family Website

The Official Princess Diana Website


Comments

3 Comments so far

  1. Garry on November 20, 2006 2:00 pm

    From an American perspective:
    “I’m a princess”… Yes that is what my little 2 ½ year old girl said to me the other day. She was all dressed up, complete with a “pretty” dress and tiara. She proudly strutted around enjoying the attention. She knows nothing of the Queen of England or Princess Dianna, yet she and every other girl I know dream of being her. She watches the princess in Dora the explorer much in the same way as I suspect you did the Queen. I can’t help but to think ahead to prom and homecoming where a Queen and King will be crowned. And then of course there is the wedding.

    So regardless of where the English Monarchy takes itself there will always be an American fascination, especially for a princess.

  2. paul on November 21, 2006 9:13 am

    I am always amazed at the stubbornness of systems. I think it was Carl Popper who commented on the nature of revolution. He said that it is only when the “old guard” dies off that revolution happens. If that’s true, which I think it is, then it will be interesting when she does die. I mean that from a change perspective. I still remember the royal wedding of ‘81. i was struck by the grandeur of it all. It really did seem larger than life - like a disney princess tale. and i still have the commemorative coins from it. good post.

  3. Maureen on November 29, 2006 7:10 pm

    Thanks for your comments guys! The Queen has longevity in her genes so I don’t think we will see any big changes for a while.

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