The Life and Times of Queen Elizabeth II
Celebrations
Queen Elizabeth II has had many causes for celebration during
her 60 year reign - for instance, the birth of two of her children,
the weddings of her sister and four children, the birth of
grandchildren. And there have been other, more formal
celebrations. Her Coronation on 2nd June 1953 was, of course,
the first and most spectacular. The investiture of Prince
Charles as Prince of Wales took place on 1st July 1969.
On 20th November 1972 the Queen and Prince Philip celebrated
their Silver Wedding (25th Anniversary). The Silver Jubilee,
marking the 25th Anniversary of the Queen's accession, was widely
and enthusiastically celebrated, especially on Jubilee Day, 7th
June, the Bank Holiday called to mark the occasion.
In 1997 the Queen and Consort celebrated their Golden Wedding
(50thAnniversary) followed in 2002 by another golden occasion - the
Queen's Golden Jubilee. The highlight was the amazing Golden
Jubilee Weekend, four days of street parties, fireworks, concerts
at the palace and a massive parade down the Mall, culminating in a
flypast featuring Concorde and the Red Arrows.
2007 saw a unique royal event: the first Diamond Wedding to be
celebrated by a British monarch. Now we look forward to the
second ever Diamond Jubilee.
Sadness
The reign of Queen Elizabeth II inevitably started in sadness,
with the death of her beloved father King George VI. And as
the child of a loving, enduring marriage, herself part of a long
and secure partnership, the divorces of her sister and children
must have been particularly painful.
The Queen referred to 1992 as her "Annus Horribilis" (Awful
Year), a year when Prince Andrew separated from Sarah, Duchess of
York, Princess Anne divorced Captain Mark Phillips, Windsor Castle
was badly damaged in a fire and Prince Charles and Princess Diana
agreed to separate. Worse was to follow when on 31st August
1997, Princess Diana tragically died in a car crash in a Paris
underpass. Then in 2002, her Golden Jubilee year, her Majesty
suffered a double blow. First on 9th February Princess
Margaret died, aged 71, following a third stroke.
On 30th March Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother died peacefully
in her sleep, aged 101. For 50 years she had been a rock for
her daughter and now, having seen her through triumph and sorrows
to her Golden Jubilee, she was finally at rest.
60 Years On
When she came to the throne in 1952, Queen Elizabeth II was 25
years old, a Royal Navy officer's wife, with two young children and
limited knowledge of the world. Today she is probably the
most experienced of all world leaders, respected around the
world.
No wonder. Prime ministers come and go - the Queen has
worked with a dozen, from Winston Churchill (born 1874) to David
Cameron (born 1966). Leaders, especially Commonwealth
leaders, know that in the Queen, they have a knowledgeable,
permanent head of state, one who will not be blown hither and
thither by the winds of political expediency.
At home, even those with doubts about the monarchy in general
admit that the Queen is worthy of respect and admiration. Her
dignity, honesty and integrity are beyond question. Recent polls in
Britain have shown that support for the Queen is as strong as ever,
while referendums in Australia (1999) Tuvalu (2008) and St Vincent
and the Grenadines (2009) voted in favour of keeping the
monarchy.
In a culture of shallow celebrity, her values, tastes and
standards remain as steadfast, if unfashionable, as ever.
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