Fynsa
When Elizabeth Alexandra Mary of Windsor was born, her parents were no more than the Duke and Duchess of York (royalty yes, but not yet kings). And she, third in the line of succession, had very little chance of ascending as monarch.
Such improbable events had to happen as, after the death of her grandfather King George V (which occurred in 1936, when she was 9 years old), her uncle and her father - the next in line of succession - would leave the way clear for her. And between 1936 and 1952 that is exactly what happened.
His uncle Edward, crowned as Edward VIII, abdicated to marry American divorcee Wallis Simpson. And then his father, King George VI, died at age 56, 16 years after taking over as king.
The weight of the crown fell on the young princess of just 26 years, who from then on became Queen Elizabeth II, a monarch widely respected and loved by her people, in a world where republics are the rule and monarchies the exceptions.
Her reign would become the longest in the history of the United Kingdom, which has made her, Elizabeth II, a witness -and sometimes protagonist- of great social and political changes in her country and the world. One of the most important for the United Kingdom has been the transition from the British Empire to the Commonwealth. No small challenge, to which others have been added throughout her long reign.
Throughout this time, Queen Elizabeth II has stood out for her admirable sense of duty - always putting the interest and survival of the crown above her personal interests - and for her keen awareness of her role as the continuator of the institution of the monarchy, in the midst of changing times.
A queen serving her people to the end. A golden brooch for the monarchy.
Magdalena Guzman L.
Journalist and Master in Political Science.
