Elizabeth II - She Was Britain:
9th September 2022

A day many have long feared is now behind us: Her Majesty the Queen, Elizabeth II, died yesterday at the age of 96, after having served as the monarch of Britain and the Commonwealth for seven decades, longer than any other monarch in British history (maybe even world history if we don't count the regency years of France's King Louis XIV). As such, the Queen's reign has seen great leaps and bounds abroad and especially at home, as it transitioned away from being a traditional nation which served as the seat to a vast and ruthless empire, to a modern and vibrant country still maintaining a strong, but less-confrontational role (for the most part) on the world stage. When her reign began, only a select few had access to a television in Britain, the nation was still recovering from the Second World War (rationing was still performed for certain foodstuffs), and much of its population was largely culturally and ethnically homogenous. Today, almost all of the British public holds immediate access to outside connections through the internet, our country is one of the centres of the financial, political and cultural world, and the UK has been celebrated for its diversity and multiculturalism. Throughout all these changes, all these phases in the creation of today's Britain, the Queen remained a constant throughout, representing a new country, and a new and risky, yet exciting, world throughout much of the 20th and early 21st Centuries.

My family first moved to Britain from Ireland during the first couple decades of her reign, as did many other people from the former empire, something which would continue throughout the remainder of her age as Queen. My parents never knew another monarch, and my surviving grandmother was still a child when the previous King, George VI, died in 1952. This can reflect the memories of the majority of Britons, as well as those around the world who also admired her leadership. After ruling the country for so long, she effectively became synonymous with it. When people think of the UK, many would quickly also think "That's the place with the Queen, right?". That's why I chose the message "She Was Britain" to go with this image, because she was effectively a part of the country: The institutions bore her title of "Her Majesty", her name was invoked in every international sporting event, and she remained as the centrepiece in all drama and discussion surrounding Britain's first family, in an increasingly tabloid-ised media-scape.

Her loss brings about the loss of one of the last remaining connections to a simpler bygone era, and the beginning of the reign of her son, Charles III, brings about large shockwaves and uncertainties for both British society and the world stage. It's my belief that much of Britain has supported the continued existence of the monarchy because of how legendary of a figure the Queen was. But now that her son, who has long been subject to controversy and has already received calls to give up the throne in favour of his own, more popular son, has ascended to the throne, it seems unlikely that the Royal Family can continue to ride on the goodwill offered in the times of Elizabeth. The Queen herself had already been challenged by harsh criticism and calls to abdicate during certain points of her reign, most notably during the week following Princess Diana's death, so it seems likely that these criticisms towards what many regard as an archaic system will only continue, during the reign of Diana's ex-husband. Only time will tell which direction the country will go in now that its foundations have been rocked to the core.

Regardless of the country's future and people's personal thoughts on the monarchy, the moment it was announced that the Queen had departed at Balmoral was a sombre moment for everyone around the country, and for some, like myself, it may have also been a little shocking, both because of how quickly it seemed to happen, but also because of how her mother and husband were able to hold on for a little longer than she was able to. I suppose the pressures of ruling a country and losing those close to you may be a bit tougher on one's physical and mental wellbeing. But just after the Queen's death was announced, there was this image on the news footage, of Windsor Castle with a rainbow just behind it, an image that felt remarkably poignant given the circumstances, so much so that one of my brothers joked that it was almost like the British government was in control of the weather, because it worked so well that you'd rarely see something like it outside of North Korean propaganda. Given how badly it was raining this evening, he might've been on to something.

The instantly iconic nature of the phenomenon made it work really well for this image here. I knew I had to do something in celebration of Her Majesty, so I've spent the best part of a day putting together this picture. I was in the middle of some other projects, and it is a bit rough around the edges (the shading and the Queen's eyes could've been better I suppose), but I really like how I managed to compose everything together in the way I wanted. A couple little details I felt were worth bringing up would be the appearance of the Royal Standard atop the castle, as opposed to the half-mast Union Flag in real life, which I added to show that the Queen is still here with us, in terms of our country's spirit, as well as the choice of colours for the text at the top of the image, which were intended to reflect the colours for the flags of England, Scotland and Wales, her home territories in the three words (If you want, the red and white letters in "Britain" could represent Northern Ireland too). Though of course, the impact of her reign did not stop at Britain. Whilst it was her home first and foremost, she is still a key part of political life and society in the many realms of the Commonwealth, with each of its member states being touched by her influence, as indeed were other nations outside of the Commonwealth. Though officially she represented a declining number of countries on the world stage as her long rule went by, she will still be fondly remembered across the world for years, decades, and perhaps even centuries to come. May she rest in peace.

God save the Queen.