Queen Elizabeth II
September 19, 2022
Today is a public holiday in the UK for the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II, and there will be no Daily News email.
Going back seventy years, the Queen’s reign has encompassed many, many technological milestones, not least in television. And her funeral is set to be perhaps the most globally covered event in history.
Elizabeth II was certainly the first ‘media monarch’ and the Royal Family’s relationship with the media has evolved through many iterations. Christmas TV broadcasts became fixtures for viewers in the days when only a handful of channels were available. Set piece events such as various jubilees and royal marriages were guaranteed wall-to-wall coverage and audiences to match. However, the media spotlight has also been uncomfortable at times as royal marriages have failed, or other embarrassments have come to light.
Through it all the Queen has remained serene, dutiful, and respected. She will, to put it mildly, be a tough act to follow for her family, to whom, we join with the TV technology sector, in sending our condolences.