ANALYSIS | How Queen Elizabeth II stayed relevant and transformed the monarchy
“I declare before all of you that my entire life, long or short, will be dedicated to your service and to the service of our great imperial family to which we all belong.”
This phrase, which Elizabeth II pronounced on her 21st birthday, defines her reign as few others do. Within five years she would ascend the throne and become the longest-serving monarch in British history.
Elizabeth II dedicated her life to service. And that explains why she never abdicated the throne, even when many of her younger contemporaries did. Between February 2013 and June 2014, four European monarchs resigned: Pope Benedict XVI of Vatican City, Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, King Albert II of Belgium, and King Juan Carlos I of Spain.
Elizabeth, a devout Christian who rarely missed church on a Sunday, resisted the exodus because of her promise not only to her subjects but also to God. There is a hint of it at the end of the speech for his 21 years: “I will not have the strength to carry out this resolution alone unless you join me, as I now invite you to do: I know that your support will be unfailingly given. God help me fulfill my vow, and may God bless all who are willing to share it.
Even when her husband, Prince Philip, retired in 2017, Elizabeth continued her public engagements, bringing other family members to accompany her as needed. Just days following Philip’s death in 2021, she resumed her official duties with the appointment of new ambassadors to the UK.
Elizabeth understood the power of the media from a young age, and harnessing it would become another key theme of her reign. That speech of hers on her 21st birthday was recorded not only for radio but also for the emerging medium of television. For her coronation in 1953, she personally requested that cameras be allowed into Westminster Abbey in order to broadcast the ceremony live.
It is well known that people went out to buy televisions in order to watch the event. It was a sacrosanct moment that the public had never been able to witness before; they remembered where they were and who they were looking at. The queen had inadvertently invented event television. All she wanted was for as many people as possible to feel a part of it.
A phrase frequently attributed to Elizabeth II was that “they have to see you to believe you”. She understood that it was not enough to go out in public, but that she had to be seen there. Television gave her a larger audience and when color was introduced, she used brighter hues to stand out.
