Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee. Lessons to be learnt about longevity, determination, strength, duty & loyalty.

As we all prepare for a weekend of celebrations across the UK & the Commonwealth, the Platinum Jubilee for her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II is an opportunity for us all to join together in recognition of Her Majesty’s dedicated service to the United Kingdom & the Commonwealth.

The Queen succeeded to the Throne on the 6 February, 1952 on the death of her father, King George VI. She was in Kenya at the time & became the first Sovereign in over 200 years to accede while abroad.

Princess Elizabeth was only 11-years-old when she watched her father King George VI be crowned King of England at London’s Westminster Abbey in 1937. Only 16 years later aged only 27 her own coronation took place on the 2nd June 1953.

Queen Elizabeth II was always destined to be Queen, but she could never had envisioned doing so at such a young age, nor could the Royal family have foreseen King George VI untimely death.

The first three months of her Queen Elizabeth II reign, the period of full mourning for her father King George VI, were passed in relative seclusion. However, during the summer of 1952, having moved from Clarence House to Buckingham Palace; she undertook the routine duties of the sovereign & carried out her first state opening of Parliament on November 4, 1952.

On the accession of Queen Elizabeth II, her son Prince Charles became heir apparent; he was named prince of Wales on July 26, 1958, and was so invested on July 1, 1969. (1)

From the very moment Queen Elizabeth II became the United Kingdom & the Commonwealth’s Queen, her role consumed her & her family’s entire life. No sooner had Queen Elizabeth II been crowned Queen, that her & the Duke of Edinburgh made a six-month round-the-world tour of the Commonwealth, which included the first visit to Australia and New Zealand by a reigning British monarch. With her children at home, this was the first time that Elizabeth II had been separated from Charles & Anne for so long.

Since her coronation in 1953, Queen Elizabeth II has seen many changes to the countries she presides over & despite many people questioning the need for a Monarchy, Queen Elizabeth II has never wavered in her responsibilities nor risen to the challenges made to her crown, very like Elizabeth I who was constantly tried to be usurped & removed from the throne.

Queen Elizabeth II has worked tirelessly for the people of the United Kingdom & the Commonwealth. When she was crowned Queen at the age of only 27, she was not prepared to take on such an enormous role at such a young age, but her duty to the crown, her people & her family gave her the strength to embrace her role.

The face of the Royal Family has changed dramatically during the Queen’s reign & Elizabeth II has had to weather public scandals, divorces & challenges to her role again & again; things which in previous monarchs’ reigns would not have been aired so very publicly through the introduction of the media & subsequently social media.

During the Covid19 pandemic, it was Elizabeth II who reached out to the United Kingdom to reassure everyone that we could get through it together & the whole world watched & mourned as Elizabeth II stood alone at the funeral of her beloved Philip, her most private moment shared with millions.

Queen Elizabeth II is the longest reigning Monarch the world has ever seen & has continued her role with dignity & dedication for 70 years! She has had every part of her life written about, scrutinized, challenged & celebrated. She has seen her family change & shift & her family be slandered & mocked by outside & inside sources. She has seen great sadness befall the United Kingdom & shared in great joy. She has lost some of the Commonwealth & she has done it all with grace, with dedication & duty to a role she had bestowed upon her.