The End of An Era

BY AXEL JACKSON '26, Staff Reporter

On Sep. 8, 2022, while under medical supervision, Queen Elizabeth II passed away after reigning over the Commonwealth for 70 years, from 1952 to 2022. She impacted the world with her strict adherence to the prime minister’s promised ideas and laws set by her government, and she ruled during many wars, big and small, such as the Korean War, Vietnam War, and the Gulf War. According to her death certificate, the Queen died of natural causes at age 96. Operation London Bridge, also known as “London Bridge is Down, ” was in effect directly after Queen Elizabeth’s death was announced. This operation was formed in the early 1960s and was reworked several times before her death. It was created to inform the Prime Minister and other heads of the government about Her Majesty 's death before the flags in the country were lowered to half mast, revealing her death to the rest of the world.

Across the world, people were saddened by the news of the Queen’s death. At Bayside, history teacher Mr. Glen Farquhar, who used to live in the UK with his family, shared his reaction to the Queen’s death.

When asked about how his family back home felt, he responded, “They were all just sort of in a daze apparently. So it happened, and then they got to go home from work, the schools were all let out, and then they just sort of watched T.V. nonstop to get all the news about what was going to happen. ” When asked about how he thinks life will be changed in the UK, Mr. Farquhar said, “Well, it's a new era. Most people alive in the UK really only know…one monarch and that was Queen Elizabeth. So, this brings on a whole new era, sort of a new British life. It was… the Elizabethan era, and now we have the Carolingian era. ”

The Queen accomplished a great deal during her lifetime, such as leading her country to victory during wars, keeping her people safe, and serving her population gracefully. She will be missed by many.Queen Elizabeth II gives a speech in 1953. [CC]

Queen Elizabeth II smiles at an event in the Gardens of Buckingham Palace in June 2013. [CC]