Queen Elizabeth II passed away today. I don't think I know enough about the British monarchy to be able to say much in terms of a proper tribute to the lady - my girlfriend follows royalty more closely than I ever did - but I think it's important to note that she was probably the longest (and first - don't quote me on that because my parents may have exposed me to Rey Juan Carlos and Reina Sofia before that) monarch that I've ever encountered.
I started writing this post with the plan of listing down all of the memories I had of Elizabeth II, but being a Filipino with very little exposure to politics prior to Erap Estrada, I don't really have that much to recall. The figure of the Queen always mystified my imagination, what with it being filled with cartoon-inspired ideals of what a monarch was, the powers of such a figure, and the fact that here was one that wasn't an actual figment of somebody's imagination. Here was a living, breathing example of the esteemed regal figures I encountered in TV, in books, and later on, in video game RPGs.
I later on discovered, to my shock and dismay, that the Queen actually had very little power that isn't ceremonial. It was disappointing to hear of a head of state who had the same title as, say, Peter the High King or King Elessar I, and not have the same breadth of duties, responsibilities, and most importantly, control over their sovereignties as one would think. Oh, of course, many would say that perhaps what I hand in mind were emperors the like of Gestahl from Final Fantasy 6, who enjoyed nigh-unlimited power and exercised them thoughtlessly, and that modern-day sovereigns - even the ones who retained some form of control over their governments - would never take things that far.
Over the years, casual interest in the subject would have me read through (and later on, watch, via channels like Tasting History) historical data showing that, yes, monarchs, rulers, and religious leaders of the past DID abuse their powers to varying degrees. And thanks to my exposure to the Asterix comics, I pictured kings and emperors to be just like Julius Caesar, who would turn out to be (prior to his crossing of the Rubicon) subject to the behest of a Senate, so much so that he would start a civil war in order to seize control of Rome. Then he would become the tyrant we all know and love, but that's another story altogether.
But I digress. Later on, I would learn, to my confusion, that the British monarch actually DID have control over the government - except that the power is delegated to several ministerial offices that would, in effect, decentralize all the power from the crown. In my mind, that got me to think whether or not that would mean the Queen (or as of now, the King) would still have the same power as their medieval predecessors? Or was all the decentralization explicitly done to make that power moot?
In any case, we were lucky that Elizabeth II kept a cool head on her shoulder, at least I think she did from all accounts. It remains to be seen whether Charles would be as levelheaded as his mother was. Godspeed, your highness. The Queen is dead. God save the King.
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