Queen Elizabeth has been the ruler of the British monarch for seven decades. She is also the longest-serving Head of State, who is woman, and only monarch to have lived for more than 90 years. With all these recognitions to her name, could Queen Elizabeth proclaim herself as the Empress of Great Britain?
According to Daily Express, an empire comprises a group of states or countries ruled by one monarch. Technically, this title could apply to Queen Elizabeth since she is the monarch of different territories, including independent Commonwealth countries like Canada, Australia, South Africa, and Pakistan.
In 1876, Queen Elizabeth's ancestor Queen Victoria was named the Empress of India. According to Royal Central, this was the only time in British history that a queen was also titled as an empress.
Apparently, the title of emperor/empress was the highest in rank than a king/queen. The title came from the Romans when its rulers had control of the massive lands acquired by its conquerors and those lands actually included kingdoms.
But emperors and empress have become a thing of the past in the modern age. Today, only Japan has an emperor in Emperor Naruhito, who ascended to his father's throne in May 2019. Just like the Queen of England, the Emperor of Japan has no executive authority towards its sovereign but both of them are still important figureheads of their ruling countries, as dictated by their constitution.
In theory, if Queen Elizabeth decides to change her title to Empress of Great Britain, she will need the Parliament to back her up. There needs to be an Act of Parliament to be successfully passed in the House of Commons but in today's political climate, it won't likely generate support. The Republicans would strongly oppose this proposal especially if the party has been gunning to abolish the monarchy.
Historically, however, Queen Elizabeth might not go for the empress title because of its negative connotations. Through centuries, the rulers of an empire have been tied to colonialism and imperialism, with many of them taking extreme advantage over their enormous power. The public might not also look positively on the Queen if her title was changed to Empress.
During the formation of the United Kingdom in 1801, King George III was offered the title of the Emperor of the British Isles. However, he chose not to use this title since he said at that time that there has been no emperor in Britain's' history.
