Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor, became Queen of England in June 1953 at the young age of 26, following the passing of her father King George VI.
Her Coronation
was the first event of its kind to be televised across the UK
and beyond. Millions watched their new queen take her oath. In many ways, this
made Elizbeth the people’s Queen, from her the first moments of her reign
She assumed her reign
during deeply troubled times - World War Two had caused the sun to set on
the British Empire.
Despite being a
figurative head of state, Queen Elizabeth had a monumental task ahead of her –
salvaging Britain’s reputation both nationally and internationally.
Her husband, Prince
Philip was always weary of the stuffiness and snobbery of the royal
courts.
Upon his insistence
hence the Queen began the gradual modernization of the monarchy while retaining
the practices and customs of royalty.
The pomp and
extravaganza that occurred mostly behind closed doors were made public. There
was more interaction between members of the royal family and citizens during
events.
The term "the
Monarchy" was replaced by "the Royal Family".
During the 1960s, the
BBC was allowed to film the Royal Family at their home. There was footage of
the family at a barbecue, decorating the Christmas tree, and taking their children
for a drive. It made the royals seem relatable to regular people.
Her Silver Jubilee in
By 1977, her Diamond Jubilee in 2012, and her Platinum Jubilees earlier this
year were celebrated with enthusiasm largely by the general public. There were
street parties, free music concerts,, and gathering across Britain.
Celebrations following births and weddings in the royal family were also made
public.
In April 2006,
thousands of well-wishers lined the streets of Windsor as the Queen performed
an informal walkabout on her 80th birthday.
And in November 2007,
she and Prince Philip celebrated 60 years of marriage with a service attended
by 2,000 people at Westminster Abbey.
In April 2011 when
the Queen attended the wedding of her grandson, William, Duke of Cambridge, to
Catherine Middleton.
In 2012, during the
opening ceremony of the Olympics games in the UK, she shared the screen with
another great ambassador for Britain - 007 himself
From a young age, the Queen had a fondness for animals. She was an avid horse rider and was regularly seen with her pack of corgis.
She was also an avid
sports fan, particularly polo, football, and tennis.
All through her
reign, she traveled across the world being Britain’s great brand ambassador.
The Queen was
a patron of over 800 different charities, which made her a fine
ambassador for Britain's charitable spirit.
Her Platinum
Jubilee was marked with a reception for charity volunteers in the
Sandringham area. Charity staff and volunteers were invited to her official
90th birthday party, and the £1.2million
surplus from the event was donated to a number of charities.
Queen Elizabeth was the primary cause of the
respect, affection, and popularity of the royal family.
However, her reign
wasn’t without controversy.
The Suez debacle in
1956 where British troops were sent to prevent Egypt's threatened
nationalization of the Canal ended in an ignominious defeat and the resignation
of then Prime Minister Anthony Eden.
Since the
Conservative Party had no mechanism for electing a new leader, the Queen
invited Harold Macmillan to form a new government, following a series of
consultations.
In 1963, when Harold
Macmillan resigned as Prime Minister, Queen Elizabeth appointed the Earl of
Home in his place, after consultations.
Both appointments
caused controversy because it was done on the advice of just a few
ministers.
In 1979, Britain had
its first woman prime minister, Margaret Thatcher. It was reported that
relations between the Queen and the Prime Minister weren’t always warm.
The Queen reported disapproved of Thatcher's attitude and confrontational style. They also did not see eye to eye on several matters such as handling the Commonwealth and sanctioning apartheid South Africa.
There were ‘scandals’
and scandals.
There were the
divorces of her children Prince Charles, Prince Andrew, and Princess Anne.
There was a fire at
Windsor Castle, the Queen's favorite residence, followed by a public
debate on whether the taxpayer or the Queen, should foot the bill for the
repairs.
Buckingham Palace was
opened to visitors to raise money to pay for the repairs at Windsor. The Queen
and the Prince of Wales began paying tax on investment income.
The Queen herself
also attracted criticism following the death
of Princess Diana in 1997.
Finally, following
the public outcry, she addressed the nation paying tribute to her departed
daughter-in-law and pledging to adapt to modern times.
The biggest scandal was her son Prince Andrews's ill-judged friendship with convicted sexual predator Jeffrey Epstein. Andrews was also accused of sexual abuse. The Queens suspended Andrew from all public duties.
The relentless
shenanigans of Prince Harry and his wife Megan Markle caused much annoyance to
the Queen. Markle alleged racism. Finally, the couple announced they were
‘stepping away from royal duties. However, their presence still hangs like a
sword over the royal family.
She also suffered
immeasurable grief from losing her younger sister Margaret and her mother both
in 2002. She lost the love of their life Prince Philip in April 2021.
So how will she be
remembered?
She was the anchor
that steered the royal family and indeed Britain through myriad turbulent times.
She was there during the British colonial era. She was there when Britain handed over reigns back to the indigenous people of these colonies
She was there when Britain suffered terrorism, natural
disasters, shocking tragedies, and a pandemic.
She was also there during moments of triumph for Britain.
She assiduously followed the advice given to her by the Queen Mother: “Never complain, never explain, and speak rarely in public.”
She never gave a single
one-to-one interview either in print or on TV, allowing her work to speak for
itself. During her reign, she always sacrificed her individuality and
meticulously followed protocol for her role as the head of state.
Queen Elizabeth was quite simply Britain’s most devoted public
servant putting service to her country above all else.
She worked with 15 British Prime Ministers from Winston Churchill to Liz Truss, met 13 US presidents from Kennedy to Biden, and Indian Prime Ministers from Nehru to Modi.
She performed her
duties despite ill health and bereavement till the very end.
Two days prior to her passing she met with the incoming Prime
Minister Liz Truss at Balmoral Palace.
The fact that her role was apolitical gave her the ability to rise
above divisiveness and pettiness to become a noble, dignified, and comforting
constant in a chaotic and devolving world.
Her death, owing to her ill health was expected, yet when it did occur
it left a void in the hearts of many across the world.
But it would be wrong
to end on a somber note.
The Queen led a great
life and served her country loyally. Her life must be celebrated much more than
her death is mourned.
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