On September 8, 2022, Buckingham Palace reported Queen Elizabeth II’s health had started deteriorating over the last few months. At 12:30, it was announced that the reigning queen had passed away surrounded by friends and family at age 96. Her funeral took place on Monday, September 19. Son of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip, Charles III, duke of Cornwall, has been given the role of king.

After the passing of her father, King George VI, in 1952, Queen Elizabeth II was crowned queen at age 25. She would go on to rule for 70 years. Before her reign, the queen joined the military effort at age 18 and trained as an auto mechanic in the Women’s Auxiliary Territorial Service. Beyond the first televised coronation, Queen Elizabeth II modernized the royal family’s positions and embraced change across the United Kingdom.

“Her steady, calm approach to her new role gave the nation exactly what was needed as it emerged from a particularly chaotic period, and remained exactly what the country needed as a series of new crises descended on it, including economic woes and a shrinking role on the world stage,” Jeff Somers, writer for Grunge said.

British politics have been up in the air recently as they just named their new prime minister two days before the death of Queen Elizabeth. Liz Truss is the fifteenth prime minister that Elizabeth has sworn in in her reign. The job of the prime minister is to advise the sovereign, chair the Cabinet, and select its ministers. They are the leaders of the government. Truss has many challenges that she must face like skyrocketing inflation and soaring fuel and food costs.

“Charles as King is going to be interesting,” Emily Janak, senior at Lincoln East, said. “He has a reputation and I’m not quite sure he will live up to his mother. They are bound for a period of stabilization after such a big tragedy.”