When 25-year-old Princess Elizabeth was proclaimed queen on Feb. 6, 1952, the British Empire stretched across the world, royalty was widely revered and televisions were still a novelty item.
The world has undergone profound changes since then and so has the monarchy. Queen Elizabeth II’s empire shrank, then crumbled. While most people in Britain remain loyal to the queen and respect her years of service to the nation, attitudes about the monarchy have swung from unquestioning deference to scrutiny. In the 1980s, Princess Diana brought global star power to the House of Windsor, but also ushered in an era in which the royal family was forced to negotiate an uneasy relationship with the media.
Over her 70-year reign, the queen has — at times reluctantly — overseen the modernization of the family known as “The Firm” and its adaptation to evolving expectations.
