QUEEN ELIZABETH II: 70 Years of Stoicism, Endurance, Civility and Grace
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As a 21-year-old princess, Elizabeth vowed to spend her life serving the British nation and Commonwealth. And indeed she did. From her ascension to the throne in 1952 to her state funeral in 2022, the Queen exemplified stoicism, endurance and gracious civility.
Thrust unexpectedly into her role when she was 25 years old, when Britain still had a real empire with more than 70 overseas territories, Elizabeth’s 70 year reign proved to be a landmine of difficult and constant challenges. She ruled through the decolonization of Africa and the Caribbean. She oversaw the shrinking of the Commonwealth. She handled (with aplomb!) Beatle-mania in the 1960s. In 2011, she was the first monarch to visit the Republic of Ireland.
Elizabeth was queen when Britain joined the European Union, in 1973. She was still on the throne when she assented to Britain leaving the EU, in 2020. During her decades as queen, she met 13 U. S. Presidents and worked with 15 Prime Ministers, one of whom she chatted with just two days before her death.
Elizabeth II was also a wife and mother, frequently coping with a husband who was a bit of a rake. (Oh yes, I believe every word and scene in Netflix’s THE CROWN!) Three of her four children got divorced, including son Charles, the heir to the throne.
In prior generations, divorce in the Royal Family led to beheadings (poor Anne Boleyn) and abdication from the throne when Edward VIII declared he could not continue as King without the help and support of the woman he loved. Because “the divorced Baltimore hussy” would never be accepted as queen, Edward left London for a comfortable life outside Paris — and that put Elizabeth in direct line for succession.
And yet, other than declaring that 1992 was her “annus horribilus,” the dear lady never faltered or complained or stopped serving her country. Wearing rainbow-hued matching coats and hats, and rarely spotted without her trusty pocketbook, Elizabeth II was not a fashionista but she always looked and acted like the Queen she was.
Atticus, an anonymous Canadian poet, wrote in THE DARK BETWEEN STARS: “She was powerful not because she wasn’t scared but because she went on so strongly, despite the fear.” Though it was not his intention, Atticus’ words describe Queen Elizabeth II to me.
By sheer genetics (plus Wallis Simpson’s seduction), Elizabeth became queen. She was a niece of a king, then a daughter of a king. She did not graduate from a prestigious university , never earned a Masters in Economics. Her main learning came as private tutoring in constitutional history from the Vice-Provost of Eton. She learned French from a succession of native-speaking governesses. A Girl Guides company, the First Buckingham Palace Company, was formed specifically so the sheltered princess could learn to socialize with girls her own age.
I never heard Queen Elizabeth utter a memorable phrase — no “Ask not what your country can do for you….” or “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall.” She remained mum on all things political, as was expected in her role as Queen. And through it all, she gained the love and respect of millions of Brits, as witnessed by the adoring throngs lining the streets of London during her funeral.
What Elizabeth did over 70 years was actually quite simple: she kept calm and she carried on. Brilliantly, I may add.
