Queen Elizabeth II: Life And Times Of Britain's Late Monarch

Queen Elizabeth II was the longest-serving British monarch in history, having ascended to the throne in 1952 at the age of twenty-five.

She was also the queen of more than a dozen other independent countries, asides from the United Kingdom. She was the monarch of fifteen countries in addition to the United Kingdom.

How Many Nations Did Queen Elizabeth II Govern?

Queen Elizabeth was not only the monarch of the United Kingdom (UK) but also of fourteen other countries, including Canada and others across the Asia-Pacific and the Caribbean. These are known as the Commonwealth realms.

Together, there are some 150 million people in the Commonwealth realms where Queen Elizabeth was head of state.

The countries are the United Kingdom, Canada, Tuvalu, Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Australia, New Zealand, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Bahamas, Antigua and Barbuda, Jamaica, Belize, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadine, and Grenada.

What Powers Did The Queen Have In The Countries?

Commonwealth realms are constitutional monarchies, meaning the monarch’s powers are largely symbolic and political decisions are made by an elected parliament and implemented by prime ministers. The queen was thus the head of state.

The queen did have some constitutional duties, the most significant being the approval of new governments.

She also formally approved legislation, appointed certain officials, or granted state honours. She also appointed a royal representative to carry out these duties. This figure is known as a governor-general.

The Queen's Life

Born on April 21, 1926, Queen Elizabeth II ascended the throne upon the death of her father, King George VI, on February 6, 1952.

In 2015, she became the longest-serving British monarch in history, exceeding even the reign of her great-great-grandmother, Queen Victoria, who was on the throne for 63 years and seven months.

Queen Elizabeth II, who was also the world's oldest and longest-serving head of state, came to the throne following the death of her father King George VI on February 6, 1952, when she was just 25.

In November 1947, she married Philip Mountbatten, a former prince of Greece and Denmark, and their marriage lasted 73 years until his death in April 2021.

They had four children namely; Charles III; Anne, Princess Royal; Prince Andrew, Duke of York; and Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex.

The Queen

Elizabeth was the first-ever British Monarch to see the platinum jubilee, honouring her 70 years on the throne. She was also the only female Royal family member to have entered the armed forces.

The Queen was the world's best-travelled head of state, as she visited more than 110 countries, but never used a passport as she did not have one.

She was also the only person in the UK who was allowed behind the wheel of a car without a driver's license.

This is as British passports and driving licences are issued in the sovereign's name of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth was not required to have any, a privilege held by her alone.

Elizabeth rarely gave interviews and little was known of her personal feelings. She did not explicitly express her own political opinions in a public forum, and it is against convention to ask or reveal the monarch's views.

Under her long reign, the UK saw 15 prime ministers, from the beginning of Winston Churchill's time to the newest Conservative leader, Liz Truss.

Elizabeth was the patron of more than 600 organisations and charities. The Charities Aid Foundation estimated that Elizabeth helped raise over £1.4 billion for her patronages during her reign.

As of 2021, she remained the third most admired woman in the world according to the annual Gallup poll.

Her 52 appearances on the list meant she had been in the top ten more than any other woman in the poll's history.

End Of An Era

On September 8, 2022, Buckingham Palace announced that Elizabeth was under medical supervision at Balmoral Castle after doctors expressed concern. 

By the evening of the same day, the world bowed to the death of the monarch as it was announced in a statement, with Buckingham palace saying; "The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral.”

Her death was confirmed by the royal family, setting in motion “Operation London Bridge”.

Operation London Bridge is the funeral plan for Queen Elizabeth II. The plan includes the announcement of her death, the period of official mourning, and the details of her state funeral.

The plan was created as early as the 1960s and revised many times before her death in 2022.