Elizabeth II’s first merit was knowing how to reign in such extraordinary times of change, surviving the fall of the hitherto greatest empire in the world. One of the keys to her success has been her exemplarity and absolute dedication, establishing herself as the last global queen.
The United Kingdom said goodbye to Queen Elizabeth II with what can be described as the greatest funeral of all time and the one that has had the greatest global impact, not only because of the presence of more than 500 leaders in Westminster Cathedral, but also because of the millions of people who followed him all over the world. Only a power that preserves ancient traditions is capable of offering such an extraordinary display of pomp and ceremony.
The more than 70 years of the reign of Elizabeth II constitute a record in the history of power, for now only surpassed by King Louis XIV of France, although he had the advantage of being crowned as a child. And it is significant in a time like ours, in which those who hold power are subjected to greater attrition than ever, to the point that we have witnessed in the last two decades the abdication of several kings and even the resignation of a Pope.
There are four types of leadership, according to experts on the subject: autocratic, democratic, transactional, and delegating. That of Isabel II did not correspond strictly to any of them: it was the power to reign, but not to govern (and to represent without influencing a government) that which corresponds to a constitutional monarchy; a formula that emerged in the 19th century as a solution to combine tradition with modernity, preserve national unity and provide stability above the political party system. It is the one that very successfully embodies King Felipe VI in Spain and other kings of Europe.
«King Farouk of Egypt, when he was dethroned in 1952, said that in a few years there would only be five kings left, the four of the deck and the queen of England»
Elizabeth II’s first merit was knowing how to reign in such extraordinary times of change. She was crowned during the postwar period, a time of austerity and uncertainty when half of Europe was under the Soviet yoke and in which modern concepts of equality and meritocracy seemed increasingly incompatible with a monarchy that represented ancestral traditions and privilege. A bad king like Farouk of Egypt, when he was dethroned in 1952, said that in a few years there would only be five kings left, the four of the deck and the queen of England; she only got the last one right. But Elizabeth II achieved much more than staying on the throne, by contributing significantly to strengthening the model of constitutional monarchy; It is no coincidence that during her reign, not only have the main European monarchies been maintained, but one of the oldest, Spain, consolidated its model of constitutional monarchy, thanks to Juan Carlos I.
Elizabeth II had the challenge of reigning in times of the dismantling of the British empire. In the 1950s and 1960s, the United Kingdom withdrew from practically all the territories of what was until 1945 the largest empire in the world. Very few kings have survived the fall of an empire, but Elizabeth II did, largely thanks to the British Commonwealth. This institution, created in 1931 to maintain the links between the United Kingdom and the first nations declared independent, acquired special relevance from the 1950s, when practically all the independent nations that emerged from the British Empire joined it; 15 of them were going to keep Elizabeth II as her sovereign. Although the weight of the Commonwealth in the global sphere is very relative, its nations represent more than a third of the world’s population and it has served to maintain a more cordial relationship between the United Kingdom and its former colonies and smooth out rough edges over everything related to the colonial legacy. The queen, who traveled to all the Commonwealth countries, played a very special role at the head of the organization, helping the United Kingdom maintain a relevant role in the global arena, despite having lost an empire.
“Exposing yourself to media scrutiny can come at a very high cost, as the British royal family has learned. But the media has contributed to making Queen Elizabeth’s image known worldwide and the royal family a global brand.”
The third key to the success of his reign has been his exemplarity and absolute dedication. Reigning for seven decades fulfilling his obligations on a daily basis and without making a single mistake that is remembered is quite an achievement. He remained faithful to Winston Churchill’s idea that a king should not impose his personality on the crown, but simply fulfill his functions. In this way, he managed to extraordinarily embody the values of the monarchy. Her coronation in 1953 was the first to be televised: since then every major event starring her, as well as those of her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh (another essential asset in his reign), and their children have been televised. . Exposing yourself to media scrutiny can come at a high cost, as the British royal family has learned. But the media has helped make Queen Elizabeth’s image world-wide and the royal family a global brand.
The queen has meant many different things to the admirers she has won around the world: a sense of duty, tradition, family values, elegance, good manners, faith and cordiality. As these values have been lost in many countries and leaders who represent the opposite have proliferated, Elizabeth II acquired a special shine. The queen has not only been queen of England, she has managed to be the global queen, queen among kings, and revitalize the constitutional monarchy in a very special way.
Few kings or emperors have earned the title of great. Those who did, such as Charlemagne, Peter the Great or Catherine the Great, did so because they managed to expand their domains and leave behind a much more splendid kingdom than the one they inherited. In the British case, not even Queen Victoria went down in history as being known as the great, despite the fact that it was during her reign that the British Empire reached the zenith of her power. Judging by the achievements of Queen Elizabeth II in the history of the monarchy and the history of power, she deserves to be remembered as Elizabeth the Great.
