It is with profound sadness that we hear of the death of Her Majesty the Queen.
Hers was the most famous face in the world and she commanded respect at home and across the globe. Few people in Britain today remember a time before her Accession to the throne, and we are truly fortunate to have had as our Head of State these past 70 years, a Monarch with integrity, wisdom, constancy and such a deep-rooted sense of duty.
During the course of the past year as we have celebrated the milestone of her Platinum Jubilee we have been reminded that she was the longest serving female Monarch of all time, with only Louis XIV of France exceeding her years on the throne. She said that it was the example of George V, her ‘ Grandpapa England’ which taught her how to be a Queen. Whether it was through instinct or from learning from those who came before her, she consistently demonstrated a dignified commitment to the service of her people.
Walter Bagehot, the Victorian constitutionalist, said that the secret of monarchy was to “never let daylight in on magic”. The Queen adhered to this mantra by never giving an interview, she never ‘confessed’, or reinvented herself. Perhaps she should have adopted the motto of two former queens regnant, Elizabeth I and Queen Anne, “Semper eadem” (always the same).
Andrew Marr, the political journalist and her biographer summed her up some years ago with the words “Without her the world would have been a greyer, shriller, more meagre place”.
This short tribute was written by Member Viv Haxby on behalf of our community.
