LONDON (AP) 鈥� lives on at the Cool Britannia gift shop across the road from Buckingham Palace.
the shop is doing a brisk business in mugs, tea towels and key rings bearing the likeness of Britain鈥檚 longest-reigning monarch as the nation marks the centenary of her birth on Tuesday. Well, not so much.
鈥淲e still sell more than the king any day,鈥欌�� said Ismail Ibrahim, the store鈥檚 manager.
The looms over the monarchy after a 70-year reign that saw her evolve from the glamorous young sovereign who cheered Britain during the gloomy post-war years to the beloved national grandmother who rallied the country during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Still 鈥榯he queen鈥�
When she died in September 2022, had ever known. Even now, mention of 鈥渢he queen鈥� is more likely to evoke thoughts of Elizabeth than of Charles’ wife.
But the passage of time has also tarnished the late queen鈥檚 legacy. While she is celebrated as a symbol of tradition and continuity who helped unite Britain as the end of empire, economic struggles and mass migration changed the nation鈥檚 perception of itself, revelations about the former Prince Andrew鈥檚 links to the sex offender Jeffrey Epstein have raised questions about why she let the problem fester for years.
鈥淒espite her absence, Elizabeth II remains this key presence whenever we think about the monarchy,鈥欌�� Ed Owens, author of 鈥淎fter Elizabeth: Can the Monarchy Save Itself?鈥欌�� told The Associated Press.
鈥淪he鈥檚 certainly the most significant figure in the history of the institution in the last 100 years and, I think, therefore deserves probably the attention that鈥檚 going to be focused on her in connection with what would have been her 100th birthday.鈥�
The festivities include a Buckingham Palace reception where will congratulate centenarians who share the late monarch’s birthday, and the dedication of a memorial garden at Regent’s Park in central London. is already underway.
An unexpected reign
Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor wasn鈥檛 meant to wear the crown. Born on April 21, 1926, she started her long life not in a castle but at 17 Bruton St., a townhouse in London鈥檚 Mayfair district.
As the elder daughter of King George V鈥檚 second son, Elizabeth was expected to live the life of a minor royal. Dogs and horses, a country house, a suitable match 鈥� a comfortable but somewhat anonymous life 鈥� seemed her future.
But destiny intervened. A decade after Elizabeth鈥檚 birth, her uncle King Edward VIII abdicated to marry the American divorcee Wallis Simpson. Elizabeth鈥檚 father became King George VI, thrusting the young princess into the spotlight as heir to throne.
Elizabeth became queen the day her father died on Feb. 6, 1952. Just 25, she heard the news in Kenya and hurried home to take up her duties.
Global ambassador
For decades, she presided over the annual opening of Parliament in crown and ermine robe, hosted banquets for visiting leaders at Buckingham Palace and made thousands of appearances across the U.K., often wearing brightly colored suits of their queen.
She also making more than that helped bolster ties with one-time colonies from India to Tanzania, former enemies Germany and Japan and long-time friends such as the United States.
Late in life, the queen became an internet star when she and James Bond star Daniel Craig used moviemaking sleight of hand to parachute into the opening ceremony of the 2012 London Olympics and to celebrate her
The king recalled his mother’s impact on people around the world in a video tribute released Tuesday.
鈥淢illions will remember her for moments of national significance; many others for a fleeting personal encounter, a smile, a kind word that lifted spirits, or for that marvelous twinkle of the eye when sharing a marmalade sandwich with Paddington Bear in the final months of her life,” he said.
In a world of relentless change, she moved with the times 鈥� applauding the nation鈥檚 successes and consoling Britons during difficult times, , Robert Hardman, author of 鈥淓lizabeth II: In private. In public. The Inside Story,鈥欌�� told the AP.
Scandal’s shadow
But those accomplishments make her failure to end the scandal surrounding even more glaring.
, questionable business dealings and unsavory friends, Andrew spent 10 years as Britain鈥檚 special envoy for international trade and remained a the details of were revealed last year. In an effort to shield the monarchy , Charles fi . He is now known simply as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.
鈥淗e was problematic and that gave her cause for worry,鈥欌�� Hardman said. 鈥淏ut I do think people let him have an easy ride because they thought if they came down hard on him, they might somehow upset the queen. Now that鈥檚 partly attributable to her, but partly attributable to others.鈥�
Besides, her 鈥済reat achievements鈥欌�� far outweighed any errors, Hardman said.
Elizabeth took the throne as a young woman with two small children at a time before jet travel existed and no one had even thought of going to the moon, then remained a constant presence in British public life across generations.
鈥淪he just reigned through this vast span of the ages and was as authoritative and loved and respected at the end as she was at the beginning,鈥� Hardman said. 鈥淎nd she was working till the very end, 鈥榯il her last day.鈥�
As historians debate the queen鈥檚 legacy, members of the public are making their own judgements.
Take Sylvie Deneux, and her daughter Clara, who stopped by Cool Britannia during a visit to London from their home in Lille, France.
They praised the late monarch for her elegance and described her as an icon. But when asked about Mountbatten-Windsor, Sylvie Deneux, 49, paused and looked at her daughter. Failing to quickly quash the scandal was a mistake, she said. But Deneux could still muster sympathy for Elizabeth, because she made those decisions as a mother, not as a queen.
鈥淐an we blame her?鈥欌�� she asked. 鈥淚鈥檓 not sure.鈥�
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