Features | Online edition of Daily News

From the moment of her ascension to the throne in 1952 at the age of twenty-five, Queen Elizabeth II has led her country and Commonwealth through the wars and upheavals of the last sixty years with unparalleled composure, intelligence, and grace. - Sally Bedell Smith in "Elizabeth, the Queen"

If, like me, you have been guiltily following the Queen of England's Diamond Jubilee celebrations on British websites at the beginning of this month, you are bound to have read everything about the Diamond Jubilee lunch at Westminster Hall, with over 700 guests including the Queen's children and grand children. In case you missed it, here is something you might like to know. The exotic menu with dishes like Marinated Uist Island Salmon with Lyme Bay Crab and Sancerre Sauvignon Blanc from Bué Loire Valley was followed by a symphony of desserts accompanied by drinks; Fairtrade Coffee, Petit Fours and Ceylon tea.

While marveling at the power of our tea, preferred even by royalty you might have enjoyed the fireworks display at Buckingham Palace, shown on the BBC website. A display of lights and sound the likes of which they say had not been seen in London since Hitler's bombers appeared overhead in September, 1940.

Shortly after Sir Paul McCartney had finished singing "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da" to bring the Jubilee concert to an end, the Queen lit a beacon, and giant flashes appeared from the roof of the palace to the opening strains of "Land of Hope and Glory,/How shall we extol thee, who are born of thee?....God, who made thee mighty, make thee mightier yet."

Even as you watched the celebrations with fascination, at the same time, if you found these invocations of imperial power a bit too much, you are not alone. A former planter who was present when the Queen visited Nuwara Eilya on her visit to Sri Lanka in 1954 says "neither a monarch nor a monarchy is worthy of positive comment because it involves a number of negative attitudes and a negative way of life."

But critics of the monarchy, are undoubtedly fighting a losing battle. Opinion polls released shortly before the Diamond Jubilee celebrations in Britain showed that the monarchy is more popular than it has been in decades: eight out of ten Britons want to retain it, while just one in eight favors establishing a republic. The royal family continues to stand as a nostalgic symbol of a once truly Great Britain.

Thanks to Queen Elizabeth II. Putting his 86-year-old mother's 60 years on the throne into perspective - in three years Elizabeth will become the longest-reigning monarch in British history - the Prince of Wales in an interview on the BBC said, "The Diamond Jubilee gives us the chance to celebrate with pride all that the Queen means to us - whether as a nation or as one of her children...The fact that my Mama has been a constant feature on the scene has provided that sense, I think, of continuity in a time of immense change over 60 years."

According to royal historian Robert Lacey in his book "Monarch: The Life and Reign of Elizabeth II" the only time the Queen "misbehaved in public was at her christening. She cried throughout, and had to be dosed with dill water." Lacey further adds "driven out of the Royal Mews in an open carriage for her regular airings, the diapered Elizabeth drew large crowds of cheering, waving admirers; one of her earliest skills was to wave back. She made the cover of Time at the age of three. The first biography, "The Story of Princess Elizabeth," appeared when she was four. "She has an air of authority and reflectiveness astonishing in an infant," wrote Winston Churchill, who would be the first of her ten Prime Ministers.


Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip watch soldiers ride past Buckingham Palace.	Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge and Prince William watch a fly-past from the balcony of Buckingham Palace following the Queen’s Birthday Parade, ‘Trooping the Colour’ at Horse Guards Parade in London on June 16.	Undying popularity: Queen Elizabeth II receives flowers from members of the public. AFP

And the Princess was, at this stage, a minor royal, as Martin Amis points out in his essay "The Queen's Heart". She was the granddaughter of George V (whom she called Grandpa England), and the niece of the heir apparent, Edward, Prince of Wales. The King died in January, 1936, when Elizabeth was nine. On December 10th, Edward VIII signed the "Instrument of Abdication" (in order to marry the twice-divorced Wallis Simpson). The ten-year-old now became the heir presumptive. While her father, who was suddenly George VI, went off to the Accession Council on December 12th, Princess Elizabeth and her sister, Princess Margaret, were given a refresher course on their curtsy by their governess, Marion Crawford; on his return they greeted him with this formality, and it jolted him. "He stood for a moment touched and taken aback. Then he stooped and kissed them both warmly," Nanny Crawford wrote. "Does that mean you're going to be Queen?" was a question Margaret put to her sister. "Yes, I suppose it does," said Elizabeth. "Poor you," said Margaret. Their grandmother Lady Strathmore noticed that Elizabeth had started "ardently praying for a brother."

Like most modern women, the Queen too married for love. Prince Philip of Greece was her third cousin, and she had known him, slightly, since childhood. Although penniless and homeless, and a nomad all his life, Philip could boast a sensational pedigree (he had a great-great-grandmother in common with Elizabeth: Queen Victoria). Elizabeth knew what she would be needing in a husband?a source of strength. And this was the strength that Philip was still able to offer his grandsons, nearly sixty years later, on that Saturday in 1997 when they heard of their mother's fatal car accident.

This was the one moment that bruised the Queen's image. In the days after Diana's death in Paris on Aug. 31, 1997, she remained ensconced in her Scottish home at Balmoral, prompting bitter complaints from public and press that she wasn't sharing the nation's pain. Belatedly, she made a sober television address and joined the mourners, letting it be known that she had been caring for Diana's children, Princes William and Harry.

According to Lacey; "Word of the car crash reached Balmoral Castle, in Scotland, at one o'clock in the morning of August 31, 1997. Word of the death came through at four. Prince Charles was in residence, with his sons; the Queen advised him not to wake them (they would need all their strength), adding, "We must get the radios out of their rooms." Charles broke the news just after seven. Prince Harry, then twelve, couldn't quite take it in. Was everyone sure? he asked; would somebody check? The boys were asked if they would like to accompany the family to church. (It was Sunday.) Prince William, then fifteen, wanted to attend?so he could "talk to Mummy."

Yet, the Queen overcomes this short lapse in her reign with commendable courage and determination. In the speech she makes after her daughter in law's death she makes it clear, "what I say to you now,as your Queen and as a grandmother, I say from my heart." Observers say it was an extraordinary performance: she gave a near-pathological populace what it wanted, while remaining true to her own self.

History, luckily does not seem to be repeating. Duchess Catherine (Kate) seems to have entered the royal family with none of the angst suffered by her late mother-in-law, the People's Princess. Prince Charles, has referred to Kate as "my darling daughter-in-law," and sources have described the Queen as "extremely fond" of Catherine as well.

It is easy to find reasons for all this affection. Kate, (who if she goes on to become queen, will be the first Queen of England with a college degree), has performed her royal role flawlessly since her engagement to William. She has given a speech, and has appeared at numerous official functions, with virtually no mistakes. The Queen also approves of Kate's practical nature: Kate is not overly fond of shopping, and has been seen several times wearing dresses she has worn before. She is not fussy, (reporters noted that during her engagement announcement, her fingernails were neatly trimmed but unpolished).

Moreover, she and Prince William seem exceptionally happy. They have reasons to be so. Last year the Queen confirmed that the monarchy's archaic system of male-preference primogeniture is to be overturned, meaning that a daughter born first to William and Kate will now automatically inherit the throne, rather than having to give way to her younger brother.

The royal historian Robert Lacey knows best. He believes firmly this proposal originates with the Queen and her family rather than with the government. "I think they're fully aware of the fact that our most successful monarchs have been women - Elizabeth I, Queen Anne, Queen Victoria, our own queen. In a modern society, where the royals have psychic power rather than actual power, it's all about keeping the monarchy in business - and they know that a woman will probably do that better than a man."

A glimpse of Queen Elizabeth's biography is ample proof Lacey knows what he is saying. The queen has maintained an incredibly high level of respect even in the most conservative, male-dominated societies in the world. She has shown herself to be strong, adaptable and determined. If you are a feminist or otherwise, it is surely impossible not to take pride in the fact that the longest-standing head of state in the world and the person who has been a beacon of stability and continuity in all the varied countries of the Commonwealth is... yes....a woman.

To quote from the song - Land of Hope and Glory, "Wider still and wider shall thy bounds be set."

Diamond Lessons