A Reflection on Queen Elizabeth II's Reign

 by Faye Rustell

Elizabeth II and President Reagan 
(image source: WikiCommons)

Whilst it has been impossible to miss hearing about the Queen’s passing on the 8th September, what is slightly more possible is having an understanding of what she did on the throne for 70 years and who she really was. The longest reigning monarch took to the throne after her father passed, only a few years after the second world war at just 25. She was Queen Regnant of 32 states in the commonwealth and 2000 mourners attended her funeral including prime ministers, presidents and world leaders. Yet, it came to my attention that whilst millions of people around the world were impacted by her death, few truly knew who she was other than the country’s monarch and it doesn’t seem right that we should simply remember her as just our Queen. 

Tracing back to the beginning, Elizabeth was in the midst of her royal tour in Kenya when she received the news of her father’s death and consequently the news that she was now Queen Elizabeth II. From the start of her reign she understood the value of public relations and allowed her coronation to be televised despite objections from the prime minister, Winston Churchill, in fears it would cheapen the ceremony. Over 27 million people watched the ceremony on television in the UK and over 3 million lined the streets leading to Buckingham Palace in hopes of a glimpse of her. In 1966 she was faced with the mining disaster in South Wales where she made the controversial decision to delay her visit there until a week later as she thought it would distract from the recovery efforts but her former private secretary Lord Charteris claims she regretted not visiting Aberfan sooner. A remarkable moment for the Queen was the first ‘walkabout’ in Sydney during a royal tour where instead of standing at a distance waving to crowds, instead she took a casual stroll to greet people in person, bucking centuries of royal tradition. Now a regular practice for the royal family, abroad and home, Elizabeth set the tone for the future of the monarchy. The 1984 visit to China marked the first time a British monarch had set foot on the Chinese mainland in recognition of sovereignty over Hong Kong being returned to China. However, what was less obvious at the time was the fact that the diplomatic importance was overshadowed by Philip’s characteristic and opinions on China where he called Beijing ‘ghastly’ and told a group of British students they would get ‘slitty eyes’ if they stayed in China too long. One of the worst years during Elizabeth’s reign was 1992 as she reself remarked in a speech that ‘this year has turned out to be a Annus Horribilis’, Latin for ‘horrible year’. It saw Charles and Diana’s decision to divorce as well as Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson’s choice to do the same, Anne divorced her husband Mark Phillips later that year and a fire broke out in Windsor Castle destroying more than 100 rooms. Finally, April 9 2021 saw Elizabeth’s husband of 73 years die at the age of 99. For more than half a century Prince Philip supported his wife in her royal duties and took on numerous obligations of his own. Due to coronavirus restrictions only 30 guests attended the funeral and photos of the Queen sitting alone in St George’s Chapel struck many as a symbol of her loneliness and grief, bringing the public closer to her on a personal level. 

However, one cannot remember the longest reigning monarch purely as her most memorable moments as Queen but as who she was as a person. It’s easy to forget that the Queen was a daughter, a sister, a wife and perhaps most importantly a mother to four children. She gave birth to Charles when she was just 22 and her husband conformed to royal tradition as he wasn’t in the room during the 30 hours of labour she endured. By the time she was 33 she had given birth to Charles, Anne, Andrew and Edward, all of whom she loved dearly and made a conscious effort to enforce a normal, healthy childhood for them as much as he could. She taught her daughter how to horseback ride and took 18 months maternity leave following the birth of her third child. Despite her demanding work schedule she looked forward to her favourite night of the week ‘Mabel’s night off’, according to Lord Mountbatten, where Charles and Anne’s nanny took the night off and she was able to bathe her babies, read to them and put them to bed. She also made the decision to breastfeed her children, following in her mother's footsteps, despite the assumption that she was an absent mother. 

Anne in particular was able to find a huge passion of her mothers that they both had in common. Horse riding was a huge part of Elizabeth and she rode well into her 90s. Her first pony, Peggy, was given to her as a young girl by her grandfather marking the beginning of her lifelong passion for the animals. Even the last horse she had before she died attended her funeral to mark a final goodbye and act as a symbol of what she truly loved doing.

Following the Chelsea flower show in 2018, many became aware of the fact that the Queen enjoyed gardening, especially considering having access to some of the most impressive gardens in the country. As well as this she also had a love for pigeon racing, a tradition in the family, and the Royal Pigeon Racing Association maintains that the Royal Family have been avid pigeon racers since 1886, taking place at Sandringham Estate. The Queen’s passion for stamp collecting can be seen in the value of her stamp collection rising to upwards of £2 million as Her Majesty owns some of the most expensive stamps in the world, building on a collection that has been spanning several generations of royals. 

Ultimately, whilst the Queen is most well remembered for her contribution to the country and family, it cannot be ignored that she was more than that. She modernised the monarchy over 65 years into an integral part of the UK and the Commonwealth, embracing the diversity and encouraging a closer relationship to the British public. Her charm and wit were able to be embraced by her people and arguably she is one of, if not, the most loved monarchs this country has ever seen. Her funeral was watched by an estimated 4.1 billion people across the world and roughly 750,000 attempted to join the queue in hopes of paying their respects to her lying in state. Her reputation and role cannot be replaced and her legacy will live on in remembrance of her duty to the country.