The Differences Between England, Great Britain, United Kingdom, and the Commonwealth Explained

Queen Elizabeth II died yesterday. The news broke after most on the east coast of the U.S. were out of school for the day. If you find your students asking questions about about her passing, the monarchy, or Great Britain in general, here are some videos that you might find helpful. 

The Washington Post published a short video that uses a lot of archival pictures and newsreels to tell the story of her 70 year reign. 

The Washington Post also published a two minute compilation of how the news of Queen Elizabeth II's death was reported by news outlets around the world.



A decade ago C.G.P. Grey published The Difference between the United Kingdom, Great Britain and England Explained. It's a still a great video that explains the differences between the three, and why some people incorrectly use them interchangeably.



Many of the news stories about Queen Elizabeth II's passing make references to the Commonwealth. If you find yourself trying to explain what that is to your students, here's a brief explanation from the BBC that could help.