Queen Elizabeth II's impactful 70-year reign maintains tradition of intense public image management

The U.K.'s history of imperialism and colonizing other countries gives them a complex reputation from the world’s eyes — after all, the U.K. has invaded nearly 90 percent of the world’s countries. But since World War II's end in 1945, the U.K. has been much more lenient about granting countries their independence.

Queen Elizabeth II has served as the queen of the U.K. since 1952 — it's been approximately 70 years since her father's Feb. 6, 1952 death set her in line for the throne.

With her many years in power as monarch, the queen has lived through much structural and political change in the U.K. She and the monarchy have grown and changed with time, but they still follow many of the same models and are a flashback to a more feudalistic time in world history.

Presidents, prime ministers and other government officials have just a fraction of the time to consolidate their power and compromise under party lines that a monarch does, while the queen’s political decisions have wide-reaching context for the stability and perspective of the U.K. at large.

The queen's coronation in 1953 was a major event and was broadcasted on TV, which was controversial in both its timing and how it was framed. The queen was very camera-shy and grieving the death of her father King George VI. After he died, she inherited the throne and was sworn in.

Then, U.K. authorities were worried about having so many cameras in Westminster Abbey. Nowadays, with the advent of smartphones and technology, the monarchy has had time to redevelop its public image to adapt to the British press. While they remain private, their image is more accessible and their messaging is tightly controlled.

Figures like the late Princess Diana enjoy a posthumous cult following on social media and fashion Instagram pages are constantly recontextualizing her legacy according to her style choices in the 90s. These one-off outfits live forever on the internet, and even memes about Prince Phillip dying after hearing a hyperpop song are propaganda in the same way. 

The queen's reign was marked by the Troubles, a 30-year political conflict where Northern Ireland wished to break away from the Republic of Ireland and become its own country.

This division created factions within the country, resulting in a 30-year conflict that saw the assassination of the queen's cousin Lord Louis Mountbatten and revolved around an endless cycle of violence between Irish citizens.

On Bloody Sunday, 13 unarmed civil rights demonstrators were shot by British army paratroopers during a protest criticizing the treatment of Irish nationalists. This massacre was highly publicized and brought worldwide attention to the crisis and Ireland.

The monarchy was criticized and took these economic problems personally. Political revolutions usually start due to a population's distrust of their government, and the queen’s visit to Northern Ireland in 1977 was marked by protests and riots. The Troubles eventually ended with the Good Friday Agreement of 1998, which signed into law the Irish Republic Army ceasefire. 

Controversy surrounding the queen's reign didn't end there. Meghan Markle's ostracization and racism by the British press since becoming a part of the royal family after her marriage to Prince Harry was well-documented by the media and shows a veil of ostracization that history tends to gloss over.

The problem of the status quo lies in its stagnation, and while the queen publicly supported Markle's union to her grandson as well as their choice to remove themselves from the monarchy, her disapproval would have stripped Harry from succeeding to the throne.

The royal family always makes decisions concerning image and public reception. She made this decision while considering her public image, which would have been tainted with opposition if she had not publicly supported the union.

The queen has witnessed monumental change in the world, and her influence is everywhere in British culture. She is the face of the British pound and represents the power of tradition in an ever-changing political landscape.

The monarchy's ability to consolidate its authority in the modern world is a fascinating case study in itself, and the queen's legacy is set as one of the U.K.'s most legendary rulers.