The world was taken by storm when Queen Elizabeth ll, at age 96, was pronounced dead on Thursday, September 8, 2022. People worldwide expressed their condolences following the death of the British monarch.
Most Loy Norrix students heard of her death on social media. Generally, students weren’t aware of what the queen of the United Kingdom represented and weren’t as concerned, since her death didn’t affect them.
“I don’t feel anything towards the queen dying because of her old age,” senior Krystal Perez said.
Queen Elizabeth II is the longest-serving British monarch in history, reigning for 70 years and 214 days. The late Queen Elizabeth ll was laid alongside her late husband, Prince Philp, and her parents in St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle. This is a gothic church that’s been in royal history for centuries.
After Queen Elizabeth’s death, her eldest son Charles took the throne. He is the longest-serving heir in British history and the oldest to assume the British throne at age 73.
“I know what Charles did to Princess Diana, and I don’t really like him as a person, and it feels weird to have a king instead of a queen now,” said senior Nataly Gervacio.
King Charles is less popular than his mother and has been subjected to years of criticism for his disastrous marriage with the late Princess Diana. A YouGov polling ranks him as the seventh most popular royal and among Millennial-age Britons, he ranks 12th.
Nearly eight years after Princess Diana’s death, Charles was remarried to his longtime mistress, Camilla Parker Bowles. The revelation of infidelity in his marriage to Princess Diana has left him and the now-Queen Consort deeply unpopular.
Even though Charles and Camilia aren’t popular with the public, his mother, Elizabeth II, brought the public together to see her funeral.
“I heard there were tons of people lined up to see the queen’s coffin,” Gervacio said.
According to AP News, at least 250 thousand people lined up to see the queen’s coffin, and about 26 million U.K. citizens watched the queen’s funeral service on television. Some spent up to 13 hours waiting to have the chance to see her and pay their respect.
The queen and royal family are widely known and appreciated for their achievements in being large supporters of charity work all around the world.
The queen also helped modernize the monarchy that has been around for about 12 hundred years. Over those years, the monarch has helped act as a focus for national identity and a sense of stability for the country.
On the other hand, some students criticize the queen’s past wrongdoings that have yet to be addressed.
“She knew what the Jamaicans went through and still hasn’t done anything to give back,” said senior Jamy Davis.
An article from Reuters said that Jamaica has been planning to seek reparation from Britain over slavery under a petition that could seek billions of pounds in reparation.
Britain’s long history of exploiting natural resources from India and parts of Africa
are being brought up since Queen Elizabeth’s death. Britain’s legacy of colonialism has yet to be addressed and while the queen ruled Britain in a post-colonial era, she still carries the monarchy’s colonial past that is rooted in racism and violence against Asian and African colonies.
Loy Norrix students view the monarchy of the United Kingdom in many different ways, but most students aren’t concerned with events that have occurred since the queen’s death, as they don’t involve them directly. Still, students hear about the queen for she is popular and influential and has dedicated her whole life to reigning the British monarchy.