How Elizabeth ensured the monarchy survived

Perhaps the most powerful tribute to Queen Elizabeth’s success is that, at the time of her death, republicanism remains a fringe cause in Britain. Today we mourn the end of her unique reign, yet the immediate future of the Crown is secure because of the admiration she inspired.

Without her steadfast, reassuring presence on the throne, the course of the monarchy could have been far more troubled over the last seven decades. After all, the very concept of a hereditary royal family is a glaring anachronism in our democratic age, where equality is celebrated, elitism deplored and privilege despised. The danger of the Crown becoming ever more outdated was further exacerbated by the remarkable changes in British society since February 1952, when the Queen succeeded her father George VI as sovereign. At the time of her accession, Britain still ruled a vast empire of 70 territories, had a colossal navy, national military service, and the death penalty and a foreign born population of less than one million.