Tags: Jubilee Celebrations, Queen Elizabeth
Queen Elizabeth – She Reigns! Posted on June 20th, 2012
If you’re like me, a transplanted Brit, you viewed the recent Jubilee Celebrations with awe. I remember my family gathered around an old Marconi radio, listening intently when Queen Elizabeth was crowned in 1953. Many will say: Queens, really, what a thing of the past! An outmoded, out-dated hierarchical system that serves no real purpose in these modern times! But the Queen is very loved – around the world. Historically, Elizabeth was not destined to be a queen. When she was born in 1926, no one expected Princess Elizabeth to become queen. It was only because of the abdication of her uncle, King Edward VIII, who abandoned his royal responsibilities to marry “the woman I love,” that events were set in motion.
Then in 1952, at the age of 25, upon the death of her father, King George the VI, Princess Elizabeth stepped into position. At that moment, with a quavering voice, she made a solemn vow to serve her subjects “throughout her whole life, no matter how long or how short.” That’s a big commitment and now at age 83, she has recently been honored with days of celebration throughout Britain and around the world. Happy and glorious and soaked, Britain concluded its four-day celebration of Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee with the roar of cannons, the roar of jets and the jubilant roars of a crowd of more than a million adoring Brits cheering themselves hoarse and madly waving flags.
When King Edward VIII abdicated, history was changed. Abdicated – that is a potent word. How many people do you know who have abdicated their responsibilities – large and small? How many people do you know who have made commitments and have not honored them? Say what you want about the British Monarch. She is an example of someone who rose to the occasion, did what she committed to do, and in the process through her own transformation, won the admiration of millions. Reign on!