By MADISON TRAPHAGAN
Sheridan High School Student
The Sheridan Student Column is brought to readers by Sheridan High School’s 10th grade English class, taught by Abby Williams.
According to Biography.com, Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor, Queen Elizabeth II, died on Sept. 8, 2022. She was the queen of the United Kingdom for 70 years. Her reign was from Feb. 6, 1952, all the way to Sept. 8, 2022.
Queen Elizabeth’s father, King George VI, died Feb. 6, 1952, of coronary thrombosis, a blockage of blood flow to the heart. Queen Elizabeth outlived her father by 40 years. She outlived her husband by one year.
Queen Elizabeth has four children, the now King Charles III, Prince Andrew, Princess Royal Anne, and Prince Edward. Charles took over as king on Sept. 8 after his mother died. She was suffering from episodic mobility problems and supposedly died from blood poisoning. Episodic mobility issues are when people have trouble moving and fulfilling tasks, which is the reason she had to start limiting her public appearances. She eventually had to stop making public engagements overall because it was too difficult.
Queen Elizabeth was the longest-reigning British monarch, and she was the second-longest reigning monarch in a sovereign country. Once King Charles passes, Prince William will take over. Seeing that King Charles is 73, that could be in a decade or two or maybe less, but very possibly even more.
King Charles has two children, both males. He is married to Camilla, Queen Consort. His two children are Prince Harry and Prince William. William is the prince of Wales, while Harry is the Duke of Sussex. King Charles has five grandchildren: Prince George, Lilibet Diana, Princess Charlotte, Prince Louis, and Little Archie. The reason Archie and Lilibet Diana don’t have a prince or princess title is because they are three and one years old. They will not claim their titles until later on in their lives.
According to Royal.uk/succession, after Queen Elizabeth we will not see another queen for years. Because of the succession, the now king’s first-born child will take over, and then his children will take over, and so on. After King Charles will be his son William, Prince of Wales. After Prince William will be his eldest son, Prince George. Seeing that Prince George is only nine years old, we do not yet know who will take over after him. Unless Prince George has a daughter first, we will not have a queen anytime soon.
According to PBS.org, there was a very short reign from Edward VIII, the now deceased Queen Elizabeth’s uncle. He abdicated the throne after 325 days before even being crowned king. He stepped down to marry an American divorcée, Ms. Wallis Simpson; she was divorced twice and that was not welcome in the Royal Family. Therefore, he had to make a choice between her or the crown, and he chose her. After his stepping down in 1937, Edward and his new wife visited Adolf Hitler and greeted him with Nazi salutes. Even during WWII, the relationship between Hitler and George VIII did not cease.
In conclusion, the Royal family has many extensions and is filled with so much more drama!