Good Queen Bess
As monarchs and monarchies go, the very institutions themselves should be relegated to the dustbin of history. They are outmoded, un-modern, unnecessary and a throwback to another era of bygone history entirely. The pomp and circumstances of royalty, the deference, the expense of supporting royal households, seems antithetical to their value.Yet many countries cling to the tradition of their nobility, of a monarch as the head of state, and constitutional monarchies appear to work well for them.
Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain is no one's idea of a pampered, self-absorbed and egotistical royal. This singularly impressive woman of great character and determination has served her country well over the many years of her reign. At 81 years of age she is one of the longest-serving monarchs in the world today, although not yet quite as long as her namesake.
This is a woman of great common sense; gracious, regal, yet with a common touch. She may very well represent as her current family's most intelligent member. The affairs of state represent her life-work. She was to the manner born and never flinched in her duty, despite the many disappointments of a personal nature that life has offered her.
No one is immune from the reality of personal failures.
This woman is the Commander-in-chief of her country's armed forces, the titular head of the Anglican Church, and the head of state of a powerful country. She has served at the pleasure of her country, and has advised eleven prime ministers in her time, from Winston Churchill to Tony Blair, and now Gordon Brown. She personifies history.
This indefatigable woman carries out over four hundred official engagements each year, conscientiously and fully conscious of her imperial duties.
As an animal lover, she keeps a stable of corgis; ugly, stupid little dogs, but beloved by her nonetheless. As an expert horsewoman and lover of horses her stables house the nobility of the racing world. She is a mother to four children, grandmother to their offspring.
To say that this woman has lived a full life is an understatement of monumental proportions. She has endured, and she is enduringly respected and venerated in her country.
Her son, Prince Charles, is chafing at the bit. Not time yet?
Labels: That's Life, World News
posted by Pieface @ Friday, December 21, 2007
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