The queen’s visits to Australia from 1954 to 2011 offer a snapshot of the changing relationship Australians have had with their sovereign and with the monarchy.
Queen Elizabeth harnessed goodwill from Canadians mostly as an individual, rather than as the hereditary head of an institution. But her death will lead to debate about the relevance of the monarchy.
Elizabeth II: Britain’s longest-reigning monarch.
Sipa US/Alamy Stock Photo
Succession has long been the weak link in the system of hereditary monarchy. Perhaps it may be time for Australia to reconsider the place of the monarchy in our own political system.
Queen Elizabeth presents winners trophy to Althea Gibson who won the women’s title in the All England Lawn Tennis Championship at Wimbledon in July 1957.
(AP Photo)
The Platinum Jubilee serves as an opportunity to reflect on the complex interactions and historical evolution of the British monarchy and the transformations in sport, politics and society.
Polling backs it up – Americans really do look favorably on Queen Elizabeth II.
AP Photo/Alberto Pezzal
The UK is set to spend four days celebrating the very long monarchy of Queen Elizabeth II. But as the Platinum Jubilee is marked, why do so many Americans also fawn over the British royal family?
Scrapbooks made for the coronation in 1953 atop other scrapbooks made for royal events throughout the 20th century.
This year’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations will draw on traditions that have bolstered support for monarchs since the early 1800s — it could help this year’s celebrations succeed again.
Imagine if the PM had caught COVID two years ago? We knew so little about COVID with certainty back then, and what we did know was truly frightening. Here’s what’s changed since then.
Souvenirs celebrating royal events have been a staple since the 17th century.
Queen Elizabeth II with Prime Minister John Howard (left) and the Australian governor-general, Sir William Deane, at Government House in 2000.
Megan Lewis/AAP
More than 2,000 pages of letters spanning 36 years and nine prime ministers have now been made public, albeit with disappointing redactions throughout.
The Queen has stripped Prince Andrew of his patronages, but she can’t go much further.
Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh with Governor-General, Sir Ninian Stephen and Lady Stephen at Government House, Canberra, 1982.
National Archives of Australia
While many of the letters are quite candid, their release after so many years is hardly damaging, and the efforts to keep them secret for so long are again shown to be absurd.