In Part III of our series on Queen Elizabeth II, we talk about the succession and future of the British monarchy. How do you stay relevant in a social media age? How do you rebuild the goodwill the Queen has earned over the last 60 years? How do they not become the British Kardashians? What is the legacy of Britain’s most long-reigning woman when she’s followed by three men?
The 1980s and 1990s brought new challenges to Queen Elizabeth’s reign, with an increasingly bold British press, a female Prime Minister, family scandals, and at the end of the Millennium, tragedy. We discuss how and why this era modernized the Monarchy and perhaps opened the Queen up to new ways of thinking. Also, would you want the spice girls to perform at your wedding? Will Meryl play Margaret Thatcher on The Crown?
Queen Elizabeth II became Queen on February 6, 1952, and since then has ruled England as monarch, wife, mother, and grandmother. Her first three decades on the throne saw many changes in England, from the hard post-WWII years to the rise of television, to changing gender norms in her own family. What does it mean to be a woman on the throne and the head of your entire family at age 25 and beyond? Where does your husband fit into all of this? Listen in as we discuss these burning questions and more!
Related Reading for the Episode:
Welcome to Monarcast! Two fascinated Americans talk about monarchy from our uneducated POV. This week, we talk our favorite royals, Germans on the English throne, and give an intro to the woman herself, Queen Elizabeth II. Also, what’s in a regnal name? And have you watched A Christmas Prince yet? We know you did.