Elizabeth II’s reign was surrounded by changes, from technology to the influence of the monarchy

When she died on Thursday (8), Queen Elizabeth II ended a period of 96 years of life and 70 of reign. But in addition to serving as head of state for some of the world’s leading geopolitical actors, the matriarch of the British royal family has witnessed historic changes ranging from politics to technology.

The most obvious of these is perhaps the arrival of the internet. Like most people her age, Elizabeth didn’t know how to use cell phones and other technological devices very well. She died with just two contacts on her phone, according to experts on the British royal family: her daughter Princess Anne, 71, and the royal family’s racehorse manager, John Warren.

The queen received her first cell phone back in 2001 – a Siemens Wap, with technology that is still far inferior to current smartphones. But, according to rumors, she banned her employees from carrying their phones during work. For the queen, the ringing of the appliances was irritating.

The trigger would have been when employees’ cell phones rang frequently during a dinner with foreign diplomats, back in the early 2000s. Since then, the use of devices during meals is prohibited in palaces – the rule also applies to family members. real.

Another episode highlights Elizabeth’s lack of technological practice. In 2015, according to the American broadcaster Fox News, she asked Princes William and Harry for help setting up her answering machine. At the time, they played with the head of the monarchy.

“Hey, how are you? This is Liz. Sorry, I’m far from the throne. For a direct line to Philip [marido da rainha, morto no ano passado]press 1. For Charles [filho dela, agora novo rei do Reino Unido]press 2, and for the corgis [cachorros da monarquia]press 3”, the recording read.

Elizabeth, of course, was stunned to hear the message days later. According to the British tabloid The Daily Star, the queen realized that it was a joke and laughed when imagining the possible reactions of those who heard the message when trying to call her.

The corgis mentioned by her grandchildren, by the way, were one of Elizabeth’s passions and were frequent during her leisure time. In her lifetime, she had at least 30, all of which were descendants of her first dog. In her spare time, the queen also liked to drive – even though she didn’t have a driver’s license.

Political changes in the reign

But Elizabeth’s 70 years as queen – the longest in British history – were also marked by several political changes in her reign. When she took the throne, for example, she was head of state of 32 countries, but between referendums and independence, she died heading 15 nations and being sovereign of 150 million people. In all cases, however, her power was only symbolic.

Still, Elizabeth tried to maintain her influence. The main tool for this was the Commonwealth [grupo de 56 países que reúne majoritariamente ex-colônias britânicas]. She used the organization to maintain economic, diplomatic and cultural ties with the former colonies. In 2019, her son and now king, Charles III, took over the leadership of the block.

In parallel, in the United Kingdom, the Queen has appointed 15 prime ministers, 12 men and three women. The first was Winston Churchill and the last was Liz Truss.

In the geopolitical scenario, in an always discreet way, Elizabeth saw Europe rebuild itself after the Second World War, followed the Cold War, saw man go to the moon, was shocked by the advance of terrorism on the European continent –including in her country– and died condemning the consequences of the conflict in Ukraine.

But on at least one specific topic, she abandoned discretion: tackling climate change. In October of last year, microphones picked up Elizabeth criticizing world leaders to her daughter-in-law, and now queen consort, Camila. “It’s really annoying when they talk but don’t act,” she said.