Remembering HM Queen Elizabeth II

When Queen Victoria died in 1901 the sorrow of her passing was outweighed by the shock of it. Most British subjects had never known another monarch, and aside from being Queen and Empress, Victoria was viewed as mother and grandmother of Great Britain. Now, more than a century later, we are again faced with the passing of a British monarch who sat upon the throne for a period equal to the standard span of a human lifetime. Will history judge her time upon the throne as a second “Elizabethan Age” which might rival that of her great-great grandmother, Victoria? Or will the focus of the historical legacy of Queen Elizabeth II be her humanity, devotion to duty, and the calming influence she had upon the world?

For the first time since 1952, “God Save The King!” is again heard throughout the green and pleasant land. The history of Great Britain for those seventy years has been turbulent, but throughout that time, the image of a serene and dignified monarch has been steadfast. Having witnessed the crisis of the abdication of her uncle, Edward VIII, Queen Elizabeth knew the value and importance of projecting an image of stability, and assurance of the unbroken line of rulers stretching back for more than a century. But, for all of this tremendous dignity and reserve, she was no plaster idol upon a pedestal. Royal, yet relatable, is a fine balancing act, but Queen Elizabeth held those two points in perfect tension throughout her reign. She was a girl touring war-bombed London with her mother, and like many other young women of World War II, she did her bit, while writing letters to that special soldier-beau who was away at war.

Afterward, she was a bride, saving her ration stamps so that she could assemble a perfect wedding dress, then a mother pushing a pram through the park like a thousand others (the fact that it was a private park at Buckingham Palace not-withstanding). The death of her beloved father forced Princess Elizabeth upon the world stage as Queen at a time when the face of the old British empire was changing. Venerable old men, such as Winston Churchill, were her early tutors in statecraft, and she was an apt pupil. British culture was changing too, and Queen Elizabeth was a celebrated icon of these changes. She was lauded in popular music, her image seemed to be everywhere at once, and she was portrayed in films around the world. Most recently she was escorted to the London Olympics by Daniel Craig in character as James Bond, and had a memorable afternoon tea with Paddington Bear. A lover of animals, she was forever surrounded by a retinue of beloved Corgis. When it came to horseflesh, and horse racing, she was an enthusiast nonpareil.

As time passed, Queen Elizabeth, like Queen Victoria, became a fact of life almost taken for granted. It seemed she had always been, and as such, would always "be." People could point to her mother, who also was named Elizabeth and had been Queen Consort, still beloved at age 101, as an assurance that Queen Elizabeth II, would be the perennial British monarch. Only within recent decades, with the passing of her mother, sister, and husband, did apprehension about her mortality become manifest. Mere days prior to her death Queen Elizabeth invited her fifteenth Prime Minister to form a government in her name. However, even legends pass, and in the tradition of the British monarchy at the hour of the death of one is heralded the new reign of the next. In due time historians will help shape how future generations look back upon the rule of Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain, but now, in this hour of remembrance, it is the opinion of this author that she was a lady for all seasons.

Read more by William Shelton