This week marks the start of the British monarch’s five-month Diamond Jubilee celebrations. Five months of official and national events that Great Britain hopes will mark Queen Elisabeth’s impressive 60-year reign of the British Isles and the Commonwealth beyond. A truly fascinating life story of a woman who has been witness to some of the most significant events in the history of the world of the last half century.
Elisabeth Alexandra Mary was born in London on 23 April 1926, the first child of the Duke and Duchess of York. The unprecedented events following the abdication of her uncle, King Edward VII, in 1936 saw her father unexpectedly ascending the throne and hence making the 10-year-old Elisabeth the next heir to the throne of a still sprawling Empire. Her childhood and youth were marked by the war years that saw Great Britain and indeed the whole of Europe descend into the horrors of conflict. These years would be the start of a rapid transformation for Britain. A transformation that Elisabeth would preside over much sooner than expected!
Elisabeth would become queen at the age of 25 following the sudden death of her father George VI. She would be crowned a year later, still a relatively young wife and already a mother of two, Charles and Anne. Her coronation would mark the start of one of Britain’s longest serving monarchs unparalleled since the times of her great-grandmother Queen Victoria.
Queen Elisabeth, now 85 years old, remains an iconic figure and fully in command of her role as constitutional monarch of Great Britain. She has been a very visible queen not only for the British and her Commonwealth subjects but also to the world at large – an international audience that has always been fascinated by the House of Windsor, its stories, turbulent events and many ups and downs.
Yet the Queen remains an elusive and private character. Unquestionably a popular figure, she enjoys a very high approval rating considering that her role is mainly ceremonial although she remains a keen adviser and sharp observer of the goings on in her country and beyond. Elisabeth rarely gives any interviews and her political opinions and beliefs remain a fairly unknown quantity even now, 60 years into her reign. An assiduous believer in protocol she remains to this day extremely active and very close to her people on the ground. Queen Elisabeth has remained her formal self, strict in her protocol and unflinchingly focused.
But the Queen is also a mother and a grandmother and, as the years passed, her stern image has been observed to having softened somewhat. Although steeped in conservative tradition she is considered as a modern grandmother and a realist. Probably her conservative image has been tempered by events that have touched her intimately what with all the stories that have affected her children. Both her sons’ separations and Diana’s death remain among the chief stories in this regard. The Queen has had her moments of criticism, and whether justified or not, she has been able to confront her detractors with dignity and courteous behaviour.
Undoubtedly, Queen Elisabeth will be forever remembered for her unfailing sense of duty and the inspiration she has been to her nation in times of crisis and hardship. Her insistence on keeping these Jubilee events as restrained as possible is a reflection of the Queen’s understanding of the economic restraints Great Britain is enduring at present. Yet it would be inopportune for Britain not to celebrate this exceptional woman who has been inspirational to generations of British men and women over the years.
Beyond the pomp and circumstance, Queen Elisabeth has presided over a major upheaval of British life. Under her watch, Elisabeth has seen the British Empire close to disappearing. During the 20th century, Britain pulled down its flag in more than 50 countries and more than half of these were in the 1960s.
The Queen has also seen Britain experience large-scale immigration from non-white Commonwealth countries that have changed the face of Britain forever. From a staid and staunchly traditionalist past, Britain has become a pluralistic multi cultural society with its attendant social and cultural repercussions. The country has seen its power base shrink and has struggled, albeit successfully, to remain relevant in a fast paced world where competition and globalisation have wreaked havoc with many a cherished British tradition. Maybe one immutable feature has remained the Queen herself – almost unchanged since her early days as Queen 60 years ago. Sixty years – a lifetime!
It would be very difficult to portray the Queen’s character in such a short space. Maybe one of her most memorable quotes sum up one of her most singular qualities: “I declare before you all that my whole life, whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service and the service of our great imperial family to which we all belong.”
Congratulations your Majesty!
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