Elizabeth Alexandra Mary was the longest-serving monarch, whose reign began in February 1952 until her death in September 2022. The Queen was the eldest daughter of prince Albert, the youngest son of king George, and therefore, Elizabeth II had a meager chance of becoming the Queen. However, her uncle abdicated and favored the Queen’s father in 1936 (Mirón, 2018). Therefore, the Queen automatically became the heir presumptive when her father rose to the throne as the King. Elizabeth II married Prince Phillip in 1947, and the groom became the Duke of Edinburg. In 1951, King Albert’s health deteriorated, and his daughter, Princess Elizabeth, represented him on most state occasions, including trooping the color. In October, the Princess and her husband went on a successful tour in Washington and Canada. In January 1952, the two went on another tour in New Zealand and Australia, then to Kenya (Mirón, 2018). While in Kenya, the couple received the news that the King had died. Elizabeth, the new Queen, embarked on a journey back to England with her husband. Queen Elizabeth II rose to the throne while in Sagana, Kenya. Although there had been several queens and kings before, Queen Elizabeth II was phenomenal, with an outstanding political career during which she made numerous achievements.
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During her reign, Queen Elizabeth II made several achievements. One of her main achievements is that she was the longest-serving monarch in British history. The Queen reigned longer than her grandmother, Queen Victoria. Furthermore, Queen Elizabeth II became a monarch in 1952 and served until her death in September 2022; she reigned for 70 years (Kielinger, 2022). Secondly, she is the second longest-serving monarch in the world after King Bhumibol of Thailand, whose reign lasted for 70 years, a hundred and twenty-six days. Another achievement is that the Queen was the first British monarch to address the United States Congress. Although the United Kingdom and the United States had a close history, they were deeply divided. Americans were under the King of England as British colonies. In 1991, the Queen addressed the U.S congress, two centuries after the United States of America gained its independence (Traynham, 2019). The address happened after the Gulf war victory. The Queen praised the United States for its solid economic and cultural bond with Britain. Queen Elizabeth II gave a fifteen-minute speech where she promised that the two countries would cooperate in the Persian Gulf war.
Another Queen’s main achievement is her devotion to the welfare of all Commonwealth countries. In 1947, the Queen accompanied her parents on her first oversea tour to South Africa. While on tour, she made pledges to the British Commonwealth during a broadcast on her twenty-first birthday. She promised to devote all her life, whether short or long, to serving the Commonwealth and the imperial family (Konůpková, 2021). As the head of the Commonwealth realms, Queen Elizabeth II guided its transformation and promoted the cultural and socioeconomic ties among the members. Another main achievement is the stability she brought to the United Kingdom. Before her rise to the throne, there were many uncertainties. Her father, king Albert took over reluctantly and unprepared when her uncle abdicated after a love scandal that threw the monarch into disarray. As king Albert tried to solve the immediate crisis, the nation entered World War II, which made the nation even more unstable. However, Queen Elizabeth II brought dignity, confidence, and order. Another Queen’s main achievement is the modernization of the British monarchy. When the Queen’s uncle abdicated, it was uncertain that the monarch would rise and survive the storm. However, World War II saved the failing monarchy, and the Queen was willing to embrace change, modernize and stabilize the loyal family (Murphy, 2021). She spoke regularly and directly to people through television channels and made the royal family approachable. She also sent royal tweets and recorded Christmas messages on films in the twentieth century. Lastly, Queen Elizabeth II made the succession of the monarch equitable. She influenced the passing of the crown act 2013, which enabled the eldest sons of a monarch to become heirs even in the presence of elder sisters.
Although the Queen was the head of state, she rarely involved herself in politics. Queen Elizabeth II was cautious while giving her political views throughout her reign. At the start, she appointed a prime minister from the conservative party who formed the government. Later, the Queen allowed the political parties to have their way of selecting the Prime Minister (Guy, 2017). Although the Queen was never publicly involved in politics, she regularly met the Prime Minister to discuss administrative matters. When they met, the Prime Minister would brief the Queen on state matters and government issues. The Prime Minister also advised the Queen in the initial years before the Queen gained enough experience and became the chief advisor. The Queen was the symbol of identity and representation of the United Kingdom. She was always formal in public and worked hard to represent the nation. Queen Elizabeth II traveled widely to many countries across the globe. She made most of her official trips in the 1970s (MacCaffrey, 2021). Whenever the Queen traveled, she made a diplomatic statement even though she never made any political announcements. The Queen visited parts of the Commonwealth that none of her predecessors did. She participated in about 300 public events annually. Queen Elizabeth II facilitated the Commonwealth’s continued evolution, accession, and coronation. Additionally, there was massive decolonization of Caribbean and African countries. Approximately twenty nations gained their independence from British colonization and formed their self-governments.
Conclusion
Queen Elizabeth II, the longest-serving monarch in British, was the eldest daughter of Prince Albert and Elizabeth Bowes. She had a meager chance to become the Queen. However, when her uncle abdicated in favor of her father, she automatically became the heir presumptive. Queen Elizabeth II became a Queen in Sagana, Kenya, following her father’s death. The Queen became a political figure and embarked on a political career. She made various achievements during her reign, including facilitating an equitable succession and stability of the monarch. The Queen rarely engaged herself in politics. She appointed a Prime Minister from the conservative party who formed the government at the start of her reign but later allowed the political parties to make the selection. The Queen regularly met the Prime Minister to discuss government issues and administrative and state matters. The Queen was the symbol of identity and representation of the United Kingdom.
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Guy, J. (2017). Elizabeth II: The Queen and politics. The Shakespearean International Yearbook. https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781315188393-13/elizabeth-queen-politics-john-guy
Kielinger, T. (2022). Elizabeth II. C.H.BECK, München. https://doi.org/10.17104/9783406785320
Konůpková, M. (2021). Elizabeth II and Her Commonwealth visits in the 1950s. [Unpublished Bachelor’s thesis]. Tomas Bata University in Zlin. http://digilib.k.utb.cz/handle/10563/50710
MacCaffrey, W. T. (2021). Elizabeth I: War and Politics, 1588-1603 Kindle Edition. Princeton University Press.
Mirón, D. (2018). From family to politics: Queen Apollonis as agent of dynastic/political loyalty. Royal Women and Dynastic Loyalty, 31-48. Queenship and Power. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-75877-0_3
Murphy, P. (2021). The family firm: Monarchy, mass media and the British public, 1932-53. Contemporary British History, 35(3), 470–472. https://doi.org/10.1080/13619462.2021.1920405
Traynham, R. L. (2019). Queen Elizabeth II as an intercessor between the United Kingdom and the United States [Unpublished doctoral dissertation]. The University of Aberdeen.