Queen Elizabeth II Dies: UK’s Longest-Serving Monarch Was 96

Max Goldbart and Jesse Whittock
·4 min read
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Queen Elizabeth II, who through a seven-decade long reign was a revered symbol and figure of duty and stability, against the change and tumult of post-war Britain and the early 21st century, died Thursday at age 96.

The world’s second longest-serving monarch who had the longest tenure in England’s history, will be succeeded  by her son Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales.

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She is survived by Charles and her other three children, Andrew, Anne and Edward; along with grandchildren including Prince William, who is now second in line to the throne, and Prince Harry, who lives in the U.S. Her husband of 73 years, Prince Philip, died in 2021 at age 99.

“The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon,” the Royal Family announced at 10:30 AM PT. “The King and The Queen Consort will remain at Balmoral this evening and will return to London tomorrow.”

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One of the world’s most highly-respected heads of state, Queen Elizabeth II was born the first daughter of King George VI in 1926 and became the UK’s monarch at just 25 upon her father’s death, with her coronation taking place in 1953.

She remained in post for 70 years, overseeing the reign of 15 Prime Ministers and historical events including the Suez Canal scandal, UK miners’ strike, Gulf Wars, Britain’s entry and exit into the European Union, and, latterly, the Covid-19 pandemic. Just this week, Liz Truss travelled to meet her at Balmoral so the Queen could formally ask her to form her new government — a key British constitutional act.

Her coronation in 1953 was the first that was televised, signaling a more modern monarchy that nevertheless would maintain traditions. In Elizabeth’s case, it was often in the form of steadfast commitment to her royal duties, refraining from partisan politics and, despite being one of the most famous women in the world, maintaining a level of discretion.

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The Queen’s movements and major decisions have been well documented over the years through a wealth of films and TV shows, including Netflix’s global mega-hit The Crown, in which she has been played in various stages of her life by Claire Foy, Olivia Colman and Imelda Staunton. She was portrayed in countless plays, TV shows and movies. Peter Morgan, the creator of The Crown, specialized in capturing — and humanizing — many aspects of Elizabeth’s life.  The Audience, starring Helen Mirren, imagined her relationships with the prime ministers during her reign, starting with Winston Churchill.

The real Elizabeth didn’t comment on her portrayals — nor did she give interviews. But she was well aware, later in her life, that she had become a pop culture figure. Tony Blair told a Los Angeles industry crowd in 2009 that when The Queen came out and he was still prime minister, “I actually had my weekly audience with the Queen — I mean, The Queen — and she said to me, ‘There’s a film. I don’t think I’m going to watch it, are you?'”

Blair apparently never did. “We know who is boss in our country,” Blair quipped.

Later, Queen Elizabeth relished in the humor of moments, appearing in a James Bond spoof with Daniel Craig for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London and, earlier this year, a sweet film short, tied to her 70 years on the throne, in which she has tea with Paddington bear.

The Queen carried out duties until the very end, regularly traveling the world and meeting heads of state in the other countries she technically ruled over, including Canada, Australia and the Caribbean Islands. Over recent months, she has passed more and more duties over to Prince Charles, who is now set to become the UK’s first King since 1953.

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She also experienced personal tragedy, including the sudden death in 1997 of Prince Charles’ wife Diana. Her annus horribilis, an expression she brought to modern prominence, came in 1992 when Diana published a tell-all book detailing the problems in her marriage with Charles and his affair with now-Queen Consort Camilla Parker Bowles.

More recently, she has had to deal with the accusations made against Prince Andrew by Virginia Giuffre of abuse, which was settled out of court for around £12M ($16.4M), some of which was reported to have come from her private purse.

She replaced Queen Victoria as the UK’s longest-serving monarch in September 2015 and is the second-longest-serving monarch of all time worldwide, after France’s Louis XIV.

Ted Johnson contributed to this report.

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