Official Coronation portrait, 1952 On February 6, 1952, King George VI of England died and his daughter, Elizabeth Alexandra Mary, ascended to the throne of England, retaining her own name as her regnal name and becoming Queen Elizabeth II. (What else? If you happen to be a British monarch, it’s hard to imagine a more propitious namesake male or female than the first Queen Elizabeth.) At the time she was notified, she and her husband Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, were on a royal tour in Africa and had spent the night in a treehouse in Aberdare National Park in Kenya—a fitting start to a career marked by a strong commitment to carrying out her obligations wherever they might take her. She went on to become the longest-reigning monarch in British history, continuing her duties practically until the moment of death. No quiet quitting for her.
Because details about her life dominated the news for days after her death in September of 2022, there must be few who are unfamiliar (unless you actively choose to be) with her mostly exemplary life as well as with the unsquelchable (is that even a word?) stories about her dysfunctional family. But perhaps many are less familiar with her contributions to the decolonization of England's great Empire. Many of England's early decolonizations, like those of its European neighbors, went poorly to say the least. But then, Queen Elizabeth II wasn't on hand for those occasions. Because this story is about Queen Elizabeth II, and because I happen to be distantly related to Pierre and Justin Trudeau (along, I hasten to add, with probably thousands of others), I will concentrate on one of Britain’s classiest decolonization efforts, that of Canada.
By way of background, Canada was initially colonized by Europeans in the 16th century, first by the Spanish and the Portuguese and later by the French and the English. These two nations were in a state of perpetual conflict, with dominance seesawing between the two, but in 1763 the British decisively took control with the signing of the Treaty of Paris, and Canada officially became a British colony. Since then, it has gradually inched its way to becoming a fully self-governing entity. In 1867 England reorganized three of its colonies into the Dominion of Canada, ending Canada's status as a colony though it lacked legal autonomy and a British governor-general continued to represent British interests. In 1931 England continued slow-walking Canada towards autonomy by bringing it into alignment with other Commonwealth countries—but retaining the ability to amend the Canadian constitution. So—almost there, but not quite.
Because details about her life dominated the news for days after her death in September of 2022, there must be few who are unfamiliar (unless you actively choose to be) with her mostly exemplary life as well as with the unsquelchable (is that even a word?) stories about her dysfunctional family. But perhaps many are less familiar with her contributions to the decolonization of England's great Empire. Many of England's early decolonizations, like those of its European neighbors, went poorly to say the least. But then, Queen Elizabeth II wasn't on hand for those occasions. Because this story is about Queen Elizabeth II, and because I happen to be distantly related to Pierre and Justin Trudeau (along, I hasten to add, with probably thousands of others), I will concentrate on one of Britain’s classiest decolonization efforts, that of Canada.
By way of background, Canada was initially colonized by Europeans in the 16th century, first by the Spanish and the Portuguese and later by the French and the English. These two nations were in a state of perpetual conflict, with dominance seesawing between the two, but in 1763 the British decisively took control with the signing of the Treaty of Paris, and Canada officially became a British colony. Since then, it has gradually inched its way to becoming a fully self-governing entity. In 1867 England reorganized three of its colonies into the Dominion of Canada, ending Canada's status as a colony though it lacked legal autonomy and a British governor-general continued to represent British interests. In 1931 England continued slow-walking Canada towards autonomy by bringing it into alignment with other Commonwealth countries—but retaining the ability to amend the Canadian constitution. So—almost there, but not quite.
the famous "Pierre pirouette" photograph, taken in Buckingham Palace in 1977 Fast forward to 1977, when Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, reputed to be a republican, amused himself during a state visit to Buckingham Palace by sliding down banisters and by pirouetting behind the queen’s back at a formal dinner, caught in mid-spin in a photo that went viral (although the royal back in question later turned out to belong to Princess Margaret and not the Queen). This behavior did not escape the Queen’s notice and left her understandably concerned about whether Trudeau was really taking Canada’s relationship with the Crown sufficiently seriously. So she set about using her soft powers to fix the situation. When Canadian politicians came to London in 1980 to discuss what they termed “patriation” of the constitution, she surprised them with her sophisticated grasp of the issues--including her awareness that whether to retain a monarch was under hot debate. In 1982, the Queen flew to Ottawa to sign Canada’s Constitutional Act, granting Canada complete independence—but declaring it a constitutional monarchy that continued to accept the British (figurehead) monarch as its own.
 Queen Elizabeth II signs Canada's Constitutional Act as Pierre Trudeau looks on. |  Justin Trudeau with one of his "favorite people in the world." |
From then on, Queen Elizabeth II apparently managed to retain the affection of her Canadian subjects, even those in high places; Justin Trudeau, Pierre’s son and current Prime Minister of Canada, eulogized her at her death as “one of my favorite people in the world.”
Now it is King Charles’s turn to keep England’s relationship with Canada warm.
Now it is King Charles’s turn to keep England’s relationship with Canada warm.
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