Queen Elizabeth II: Leader Of The British Monarchy After World War II To The Modern Era

Queen Elizabeth II after coronation (Photo: royal.uk)

JAKARTA - Nothing can deny the uniqueness of a Queen Elizabeth II. She became one of the most prominent queens of the other kings and queens who ruled the British monarchy. Elizabeth II is the queen with the longest reign. He ruled the kingdom from the age of 27 years until now he is 93 years old. It's been 66 years he led England.

Elizabeth II ascended the throne to become queen on February 6, 1952, when her father, King George VI, died in her sleep. At that time, Elizabeth II was in Kenya.

Since her birth on April 21, 1926, Elizabeth II was not charged with being the heir to the throne. She and her younger siblings enjoyed the first decade of their life with all the privileges of royal membership and studying at home with a tutor. At that time Elizabeth was studying French, mathematics and history.

The death of King George V, who was Elizabeth II's grandfather, changed her course and put her on the line to the throne. At that time, the uncle of Elizabeth II who was the eldest son, Edward VIII, was crowned a king replacing George V. But at that time Edward VIII fell in love with a woman from the US who was a widow, Wallis Simpson.

Edward III must choose to remain king or relinquish his status if he remains with Wallis. Edward also chose to give up his title to be with his love. The status of king then fell to the father of Elizabeth II, who also changed Elizabeth II's status to become a future queen.

Elizabeth II's Leadership

From the start of her reign, Elizabeth II understood the value of public relations and allowed her coronation to be broadcast on television, although Winston Churchill's side felt this undermined the value of coronation ceremonies.

Elizabeth II, the 40th leader of the British Empire has worked hard in her royal duties and became a popular figure worldwide. In 2003, Queen Elizabeth II celebrated 50 years of her reign, which only the fifth King of England was able to celebrate.

When Elizabeth II became queen after the war, England still had major kingdoms that dominated. However, during the 1950s and 1960s, many countries achieved independence and the British Empire evolved into the Commonwealth of Nations (Commonwealth).

As such, Elizabeth II has made visits to other countries as head of the commonwealth and representative of Britain, including her first trip to Germany in 1965. She became the first British royal ruler to make a state visit in more than five decades.

Reporting from Biography, Thursday, January 6, 2020, during the 1970s and 1980s, Elizabeth II also continued to make visits to various countries. In 1973 he attended the Commonwealth of Nations Conference in Ottawa, Canada and in 1976 traveled to the US to celebrate the 200th anniversary of US independence from Britain. More than a week later he was in Montreal, Canada, to open the Summer Olympics.

In 1979, Elizabeth II was also known to have visited meetings in Middle Eastern countries namely Kuwait, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, United Arab Emirates and Oman, which received international attention and respect for the Queen.

In 2011, Elizabeth II demonstrated that the position of a queen still has symbolic and diplomatic power when she became the first British royal ruler to visit the Republic of Ireland since 1911 (when all of Ireland was still part of Britain).

His age is now not young, making many parties suggesting Queen Elizabeth II to resign and immediately give the throne to Prince Charles. However, the queen persisted in her royal duties until she was 90 years old. Elizabeth II continues to attend more than 400 events per year, maintaining her support for hundreds of charitable organizations and programs.

In August 2019, Elizabeth II "stepped in" which was rare in politics. Elizabeth II then agreed to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's request to postpone the parliamentary meeting to October 14, less than three weeks before Britain's planned exit from the European Union.

Brexit and Harry-Meghan's Exit from the Kingdom

Quoted from the Express, Elizabeth II is obliged to comply with royal rules which state that the queen must remain politically neutral. Seeing Brexit as a divisive discussion in Britain, Queen Elizabeth II is careful to maintain her apolitical stance. On 31 January 2020, when Great Britain officially left the European Union, the Queen moved away from the celebration venue in Sandringham.

In addition, Elizabeth II also faced the fact that her grandson, Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle decided to quit royal membership. The reason Harry and Meghan left is because they want to be financially independent and take on a "new, progressive role."

The decision came as a surprise because Harry had never discussed it with the Queen and other family members before. However, Elizabeth II gave her blessing to her grandson.