Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II will arrive in Malta tomorrow where she will celebrate her diamond anniversary with her husband Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh.
The Queen came to Malta two years ago and the visit, which coincided with the Commonwealth Heads of State Meeting, seemed to go down well with one and all – from the Royal couple themselves, to the general public and of course to the British (and other tourists) who were here at the time.
Last time round, it was an official visit, so the arrival of the Queen and the HMS Illustrious was treated with much fanfare and protocol. However, this time round, the Royal couple are here in a private capacity, enroute to the CHOGM meeting which is to be held in Uganda.
The Queen and the Duke will leave on Wednesday, but they will fit in a few small public appearances. In fact, they are set to meet 30 Maltese couples who are celebrating their own anniversaries or are about to be wed – a very nice gesture indeed. There is a very special bond which exists between Malta and the Royal Couple and there seems to be genuine affection from both sides.
In fact the Queen’s only stab at a normal life came when she lived in Malta as a navy wife to Price Philip. She has fondly recounted the times when she used to go for groceries without a care in the world, or how she and the Prince used to go for walks or to the cinema as any other normal couple might do.
Perhaps they might get a bit of respite while here in Malta and be spared the media frenzy which always hounds them and the rest of the Royal Family while in the UK. In fact, British High Commissioner Nick Archer described the Queen’s visit to Malta on her 60th wedding anniversary as “a happy coincidence and a matter of serendipity”. The couples which she will meet will be selected at random. Some will have married on the same year as the Royal couple – 1947, others in 1977 and others who will be marrying in the next few days.
With all that has happened in the past couple of years, Malta can safely say that it is one of The places to be at the minute and a lot of that has been down to cultural events, foreign direct investment, entertainment and many other events. But this one is special. The British monarch has selected Malta – a place she remembers from 60 years ago and more as the place in which to celebrate her anniversary. What is perhaps more satisfying is that the reason why she selected to spend it here – the bond which she shares with our people. One could see the last time that she was here, she felt completely at ease while walking through Repulic Street while she spoke to children, members of the public and virtually everyone that got her attention. Yes, we have improved as a nation, yet we forget ourselves as a people sometimes. The Royal couple will be spending their anniversary here and they are doing so because they like Malta and the Maltese people. Let us for one moment forget investment, competitiveness, election fever and the various other things that take over our lives on a daily basis. The Queen is here to enjoy an important moment in her life. We should all do the same.