8 ways Queen Elizabeth modernised the British monarchy: from the first televised coronation to funny videos with Prince Harry and Barack Obama, and even posting to the royal family’s social media

Oct 19 , 2022

How did Queen Elizabeth update the British monarchy during her 70-year reign? Photos: @royalfamily/Instagram

Queen Elizabeth died at age 96 in September, but the longest-serving monarch in British history transformed royal life during her 70-year reign

She allowed her family – Prince Philip and her children, including Prince Charles – to be filmed for a BBC documentary, had virtual royal engagements and even invented the royal walkabout

Queen Elizabeth died at the age of 96 at Balmoral Castle on September 8 this year. The queen was celebrated for her efforts to modernise the British monarchy. She made history when her coronation was televised, and she even wrote her first Instagram post in 2019.

We take a look back at eight ways she transformed British royal life during her reign …

1. She was the first female royal to join the armed services

Queen Elizabeth inspects the Royal Gurkha Rifles in Central, Hong Kong, in 1986. Photo: Howard Walker

The queen was the first and only female member of the royal family to enter the armed forces.

The then-titled Princess Elizabeth had to beg her father, King George VI, to let her help out in the military effort during World War II when she was 18.

Teenage Queen Elizabeth driving an ambulance during her wartime service in the Auxiliary Territorial Service, in 1945. Photo: Getty Images

She joined the Women’s Auxiliary Territorial Service in England, where she drove military trucks and trained as a mechanic.

The queen was the first female royal to join the armed services as a full-time active member, according to the royal family’s official website.

2. Her royal coronation was the first to be televised

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