The recent death of Queen Elizabeth II at the age of 96, has once again brought to the table the role the British monarchy plays both in its inhabitants and in the countries that still recognize themselves as part of the crown. To clear up these concerns, we spoke with Rafael Piñeros, a professor at the University of Externado de Colombia.

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What is the impact on the royal family?

Professor Piñeros points out that Isabel II is the axis of the family unit, the mother and grandmother devoting her life to serving the crown, and, therefore, as in any family, there will be deep pain in her absence, as there has been with the death of her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, on April 9, 2021, at the age of 99.

On the other hand, the teacher explains that this fact also implies a generational change in the crown, which implies a reorganization of functions. “Charles, who is his eldest son and who is the Prince of Wales, will definitely be sworn in as king within the next 24 hours. Since then, it has been Guillermo, who has continued to be the Duke of Cambridge,” said Piñeros.

Impact on British society

Although at a political level she is a neutral figure (she does not interfere in parliamentary decisions), Queen Elizabeth II has great diplomatic relevance and as a representative of the State, therefore, when Carlos was king, he had to meet with the prime minister. minister, Elizabeth Truss, to establish the protocol for their meeting. “The Queen holds weekly meetings with graduating prime ministers during her reign (15 to date),” comments Piñeros.

On the other hand, the figure of the British monarchy received significant support and support from the citizens, even reaching up to 70% in some historical periods, according to Professor Piñero, because he was a figure with a very important symbol. weight by representing tradition and in some ways, patriotism.

According to the teacher, among the British there will be “a deep pain, as if a ‘grandmother’ has died. Without a doubt, several days of mourning will come, it has been established that there will be nine, and then they will have their official funeral, “he commented. This is also reflected in the images circulating in international media and social networks, where residents can be seen crowding the gates of Buckingham Palace to offer their condolences.

On the other hand, there has been speculation about the closeness the next monarch will have with England: “Charles’ personality is very different from that reflected by Elizabeth II, but that doesn’t mean that he won’t enjoy his reign in the future. said the teacher.

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The influence of the crown outside the UK

A total of 16 countries have been crowned Queen Elizabeth II, namely:

great Britain
Canada
Australia
New Zealand
Old and bearded
Bahamas
Barbados
Belize
Grenade
Jamaica
Saint Kitts and Nevis
St. Lucia
St Vincent and the Grenadines
Papua New Guinea
Solomon Island
Tuvalu

In this regard, professor Externado points out that “debate can be generated internally around whether this figure should continue or not (recognize the British monarchy), but for now they continue to be part of the kingdom, admit or not to the British crown as representative of the State.” , said Piñeros, which could describe possible changes at the international level, increasing the importance of being republics by these countries.

Crown International Humanitarian Work

As part of her royal duties, Elizabeth II is president of more than 600 charitable organizations, covering areas such as: arts and culture, health, science and technology, sport and the environment, among others.

“The important thing here is related to the crown, because it is mutually beneficial. This means that many sports foundations, humanitarian affairs, etc., want to continue to tie their interests to the interests of the crown”, comments the teacher, explaining that Carlos will direct this charity work once he becomes king.