By Jordan Green, Editor-in-Chief
People around the world have mourned the death of Queen Elizabeth II – including one student at Northwestern.
Stephen “Scotty” McCluskey, a foreign exchange student from the central Scotland town Motherwell, never met the world’s second-longest-reigning monarch. But he said he admired her leadership.
“She loved Scotland,” McCluskey said. “You see all over social media now, she loved Scotland, and she was a nice lady. Every time she visited Scotland, it was nice to see her. My aunt personally got to meet her one time, which was pretty cool. She said she was a lovely lady. The queen was good to the Scots.”
Since Queen Elizabeth II died Sept. 8, residents of the United Kingdom have celebrated the queen’s life and legacy, recalling some of the most significant moments from Her Majesty’s time at the helm.
“With her passing recently, there’s a lot more stuff coming out about her,” McCluskey said. “A lot of statements made out through the years were really motivational and helped me get through stuff. My dad recently sent me a post of the queen saying some of her speeches, and it’s just about getting through life, and it was pretty awesome.”
McCluskey remembers the queen’s Diamond Jubilee, the 60th anniversary of her ascension to the throne, in 2012.
“I remember the streets going crazy,” McCluskey said. “Everyone got the day off, so that was a good day. We all got to watch her on the TV.”
Despite Scotland’s reverence toward the queen, the nation will likely push for independence from Britain, McCluskey said.
“The last couple of years, we’ve really been wanting to go independent,” McCluskey said. “Now, it’s a big opportunity to take advantage of that. Not being rude to her, but it’s better for Scotland.”
The news of the queen’s death was difficult to receive, McCluskey said.
“It was sad,” McCluskey said. “She did nothing wrong to my people. She was a good lady.”
QUEEN WAS A ‘MAINSTAY’
Dr. Eric Schmaltz, a history professor and chair of Northwestern’s social sciences department, said the queen was a stable figure in British history and led the country through turbulent times.
“She reigned basically over the dismantling of the British Empire post World War II,” Schmaltz said. “She’s our last link to the twilight of the British empire and the post-imperial period.”
Queen Elizabeth II’s family has been in power for more than 1,000 years, Schmaltz said.
Throughout her reign, Her Majesty remained “above the fray” and was more reserved on political issues.
“She’s such a mainstay, and it will be interesting to see … how [Charles] manages in her shadow,” Schmaltz said. “It’s always difficult to follow up on a long act like hers.”
The queen upheld the duties of the office until the end, appointing a new prime minister two days before her death. Her dedication was characteristic of her leadership style, Schmaltz said.
The queen rose to power as television came about, making the life of royalty more public than ever before. Although the United Kingdom and the United States once were foes, Americans fell in love with the queen and her prestige and pageantry, Schmaltz said.
“We have a tie with England historically,” Schmaltz said. “Even though we broke away, we share a language, a culture, a lot of immigrants – including some English, Scottish, Welsh – they came from that island and kind of mixed over here. We have that tie with Britain still.
“That was reinforced by two world wars and, of course, the Cold War. She was always a steadfast ally. I think, over time, we almost took her for granted, that she was always going to be there.”