Following the recent death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth 𐤚 on the 8th of September and her funeral yesterday it feels timely to reflect on her reign and death. In this short note, I will discuss key events that marked her reign and present an account of the experience of her sad passing. Irrespective of the considerable institutional issues surrounding the monarchy, I respect the dignity and dedication in which Queen Elizabeth 𐤚 served in a period of unparalleled social, economic and political change.

At the time of her coronation, Winston Churchill introduced her to an Empire in decline that has been rocked to the core by successive global conflicts and just waves of independence that struck former colonies – largely politically reclusive, Queen Elizabeth 𐤚 could did little but reflect on the decline as one of the greatest empires in history was reduced to ceremonial pomp and political irrelevance. A little less than thirty years later, Margaret Thatcher enacted an unrivaled transformation of the Great British from an industrial quasi-managed economy to a neoliberal state. This economic development was swiftly followed by the emergence of the Internet which exposed the monarchy and the Queen to an exasperated world of communication, publicity and criticism. Throughout her entire reign, Queen Elizabeth 𐤚 was met with an array of social changes ranging from the counter-cultural movements of the late 1960’s, the Stonewall Riots, the economic disoutions presupposed by the Thatcherite economic reforms, feminist movements and the COVID-19 pandemic. Irrespective of her ability to make meaningful impacts on the nature, shape and effectiveness of social change, she is widely regarded as providing meaningful leadership in turbulent social times. 

Queen Elizabeth’s 𐤚 life and death were not without controversy. For example, many note the highly turbulent relationship between the Queen and Lady Diana Spencer. Following the death of the then divorced Princess Diana, Queen Elizabeth 𐤚 was lambasted  for her delayed response to the crisis and her initial reluctance to fly a flag at half-mast over Buckingham Palace. However,  much of the negative public feeling was alleviated following a public announcement in which she expressed a considerable degree of admiration for Lady Spencer. More recently, she has drawn criticism for her silence over the allegations of sexual misconduct by her son – Prince Andrew.  Posthumously, Professor Uju Anya wished her an “excurating” death which arose from her aggressive post-colonialist stance and her identification of Queen Elizabeth 𐤚 as the head of an oppressive and inherently violent empire. It is my hope that this comment, however intolerable and violent, does not draw undue criticism outside of that branch of study.

The experience of the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth 𐤚 presents itself, at least to me, as a political precipe. His Majesty King Charles 𐤛 is demonstrably less popular than his mother and the weight of national mourning was rendered visible by the twelve hour queue to pay tribute whilst she lay in state. Our level of personal loss recalls Nietzsche in Beyond Good and Evil: 

“We ‘good Europeans’: we too have our hours when we permit ourselves a warm-hearted patriotism, a lapse and regression into old loves and narrowness” (Nietzsche: 2003: p171)

The political future of the monarchy appears bleak. In the face of an uncertain political, economic and social future, our function as ‘good Europeans’ appears to be increasingly stressed and pressured. Admittedly, I must contest and admit that I’m not a monarchist, but I share the sense of personal loss for the iconography associated with Queen Elizabeth 𐤚: an endearing speech at Christmas, a warming smile, corgis, Paddington Bear and the positive virtues of the British establishment. Whether history will swallow the monarchy or not remains unknown, but Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth 𐤚 passes as gracely into history as she lived. 

Bibliography 

Nietzsche, F., (2003)., ‘Beyond Good and Evil: Prelude To A Philosophy Of The Future’ ., Trans by Hollingdale, R.J., Penguin Books., p171