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Queen Elizabeth II, the longest serving British monarch and second-longest serving monarch in history, died yesterday. Having lived until the age of 96, with 70 of those years as Queen, Queen Elizabeth was a worldwide cultural icon.

Did you know?
  • Queen Elizabeth ascended the throne in 1952, though her coronation wasn’t held until June of 1953.
  • Queen Elizabeth’s ascension to the throne was unlikely. Elizabeth was born in 1926 to then-Prince Albert of York and Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon. The King at the time was her uncle, King Edward VIII.
  • He abdicated the throne in 1936 to marry an American divorcee, which was taboo during the time period.
  • Elizabeth’s father, now known as King George VI, ascended the throne, which she inherited upon his death in February of 1952.

Learn more:

What is a monarchy?

A monarchy is a form of government where the appointed leader serves a life-long term (unless they abdicate the throne). Power is often passed down within one family. Monarchs often ascend the throne after the death of their royal parent. The power of the monarch and the royal family varies by monarchy:

  • Absolute monarchies retain all of the political and legal power over their subjects. Examples of absolute monarchies include Brunei, Saudi Arabia, and Vatican City.
  • Other monarchies, such as that of United Kingdom of Great Britain, are constitutional monarchies. This means that although they have a monarch, they are limited in their authority by a constitution.

Queen Elizabeth, for example, did not have the power to pass laws or appoint people to government positions. She had the ceremonial roles of meeting with the leader of parliament’s majority party, opening and dissolving parliament, and agreeing to any new legislation (UK Parliament).

However, these are merely a formality; the monarch’s participation in the these events is compulsory. The monarch is not allowed to veto legislation; they can only approve it.

King (then Prince) Charles with his mother, Queen Elizabeth

Royal Succession

How does succession in a monarchy work?

In hereditary monarchies, where succession is based on familial relationships to the current monarch, there are two main types of succession: vertical and horizontal. The next heir to throne is the heir apparent.

  • Vertical succession: The system of vertical succession dictates that the current monarch’s eldest child, though often only eldest sons were eligible, would succeed the role of King or Queen.
  • The line of succession would be as follows: monarch -> monarch’s oldest child or son (heir apparent) -> heir apparent’s eldest child or son -> oldest child or son of the heir apparent’s eldest child or son.
  • This is the type of succession used by the British royal family. King Charles III, as the eldest of Queen Elizabeth’s children and eldest son, succeeded the throne upon his mother’s passing.
  • Horizontal succession: Horizontal succession directs the line of succession to be based on seniority of the royal family’s members. Like in vertical succession, some monarchies only allow men to become monarchs.
  • The current monarch’s eldest sibling or brother would be heir apparent, followed by other brothers or siblings. From there, succession could either extend to cousins, or be passed down to the current monarch’s children or eldest son, depending on the size of the royal family.