On September 8, 2022, Queen Elizabeth II passed away at the age of 96. She reigned the longest of any British monarch with a reign of 70 years and 214 days. 

Some members of society weren’t surprised that Queen Elizabeth passed away due to her old age. Though there were a few who did not expect Queen Elizabeth II’s sudden passing. Some students were stunned by this news like Sophomore, Gabriella Costilla.

“To be honest, my initial reaction was shock, because she’s been alive for a long time. I hadn’t heard about her being in the hospital previously. It didn’t really affect me as much, but it definitely did shock me,” said Costilla. 

Opinions on how the UK is going to evolve in the future contrasted. Some said that the UK will remain the same with little to no changes. While others, like Sophomore, Jayden Howard said that the UK may constantly alter in the future due to the death of the Queen.

“They’re going to put money with King Charles on it, but then, he’s probably going to die soon. Maybe in like three years. They’re gonna have to reprint all that money,” said Howard.

Many people thought Queen Elizabeth’s rule was problematic and didn’t agree with it. Others thought it was admirable and helpful towards her subjects. AP World History teacher, Amy Husk found common ground with both sides. 

“I have always been a fan of hers because she was a young woman who came into power in an era where women didn’t generally hold power. So even though there are problematic things with her rule like imperialism and colonialism, and all of those things, which are valid arguments, I still felt like she made a lot of great strides for women, and I think overall had a positive impact. Now, there were some things that were problematic and things you know, she was still part of the old guard and, and did things like in more traditional conventional ways, and I do think that sometimes that was a problem for her,” said Husk. 

Britain went through a seven-day mourning period after Queen Elizabeth ll’s funeral. During this time, many businesses and schools were closed for mourning. While some thought the economy was going to be affected by this pause in normality, Advance English ll teacher, Beth Simmonds thought the opposite.

“It’s not a complete shutdown. It’s a focus inward on family and feelings and holding those that you love dear to you and being thankful for your blessings. It’s a time to take an account of your feelings, your family, and where you are. That self-reflection. It will have some economic impact, as any holiday would but then there are the people that are home and not at work that now can go out and do things with their families. While there might be a dip in the day-to-day of the economics, I think it evens out because there will be increased spending in touristy type things, family holidays, and eating,” said Simmonds. 

Many people who live in the UK were devastated and spend days grieving for the passing of Queen Elizabeth ll. Other people who live under the commonwealth weren’t really affected or sad about her passing. Former Australian citizen, Darryl Simmonds, said some countries are even talking about leaving the commonwealth in the near future.

“There was no loss, there was no impact. Even though we broke away in 1902 we were still paying taxes. We pay taxes to Britain and we pay taxes to the queen as well. There is no benefit for the average person. We felt the cost of it, especially when they advertised it on the news that we sent them 44.5 million dollars,” said Darryl Simmonds. 

The opinions and feelings towards the Queen greatly differed. However, the impact she had not only in Britain but in other areas of the world can be seen as significant through the lens of leadership and societal progression.