She was and continues to be one of the most recognizable figures of the last century. Even into her death, the popularity and interest into the life of Queen Elizabeth II and the royal family is only growing.

College campuses aren’t left out of that excitement.

Students in professor Andrew Walkling’s class are learning about the first Queen Elizabeth, and how we got to today.

“I think the students are really fortunate to see this transition, to see this moment, partly because it’s all about the pageantry. Elizabeth II was not a political figure, not a figure who held actual power, but rather a symbol,” said Andrew Walkling, a Binghamton University professor.

For more than 70 years, she captured the attention of the entire world. Decades after her reign began, students in classrooms from coast to coast continue study the monarch.

It’s something Walkling says appeals to everyone.

“Little kids have a kind of a fairytale view of it. Adults remember the history and the importance of it. So it’s really extraordinarily to watch all of the different levels of society, age groups, people around the world,” said Walkling.

Walkling, a historian of the British Court, has been studying royal families for decades. He said the future reign of Prince Charles could look a bit different from what we’re used to.

“He’s somebody who had allowed himself to express his opinions in the past, and who has gotten into some controversies that way, and, of course, there is a personal history between him and the former princess of Wales, Princess Diana, that has eroded his popularity in the way that his mother never experienced,” said Walkling.

Walkling says we shouldn’t expect an official coronation for at least a year.