Q U E E N E L I Z A B E T H I I 1 9 2 6 — 2 0 2 2 h p a r g e l e T ; 3 2 : 8 2 : 9 1 2 2 0 2 p e S . 2 1 : e t a D ; ) m m 0 0 . 0 9 2 x 0 0 . 0 3 2 ( : t a m r o F ; f d p . X X - C 1 0 0 A - 2 2 9 0 7 1 - 1 - 7 T C G G - C C 1 0 0 1 : t n e m u c o D The Telegraph h p a r g e l e T ; 7 4 : 2 2 : 7 1 2 2 0 2 p e S . 2 1 : e t a D ; ) m m 0 0 . 0 9 2 x 0 0 . 0 3 2 ( : t a m r o F ; f d p . X X - C 2 0 0 A - 2 2 9 0 7 1 - 1 - 7 T C G G - C C 2 0 0 1 : t n e m u c o D h p a r g e l e T ; 9 0 : 1 2 : 7 1 2 2 0 2 p e S . 2 1 : e t a D ; ) m m 0 0 . 0 9 2 x 0 0 . 0 3 2 ( : t a m r o F ; f d p . X X - C 3 0 0 A - 2 2 9 0 7 1 - 1 - 7 T C G G - C C 3 0 0 1 : t n e m u c o D Our Q h p a r g e l e T ; 8 3 : 4 4 : 7 1 2 2 0 2 p e S . 2 1 : e t a D ; ) m m 0 0 . 0 9 AllisonPearsonpaystributetotheextraordinarylifeandreignofElizabethII,encompassing w2 x 0 0 . 0 3 2 ( : t a m r o F ; f d p . SHE WAS ALWAYS THERE. For most of us she has X X nevernotbeenthere.Partofthescenery,afixtureinthe - C firmament,certainasthesunrisingintheeast.Our 4 0 Queen.Changingwiththetimes,everjustthesame. 0 Therearenosoldiersleftwhosworeanoathofloyaltyto A - aking.Sixofher15primeministerswerebornafterher 2 2 accession.Thelongest-reigningmonarch.Thefacethat 9 launchedabillionbanknotes,thestamponeveryletter, 0 7 thesilhouetteofthenationalself.OurQueen.Didwe 1 - cometobelieveshewasimmortal?(Maybe,butonly 1 - because the alternative was unthinkable.) We can’t 7 quiteimaginelifewithouther.Tobehonest,wearen’t T C absolutelycertainwhowearewithouther.Forthebest G G partofacentury,ifanyoneasked,‘Whatkindofcountry - C isthis?’therewasnoneedtosearchforananswer,for C thereshewas.OurQueen. 4 0 Thedeathofaveryoldladyishardlyunexpectedand 0 1 yetmillionsofuswillbeexperiencingprofoundshock and a strange, unsettling sorrow. Men, women and : t childrenonthewaytoworkorschool,sittingonabus, n e buyingacoffee,justtalkingtoafriendonthephone,may m u findthemselvessurprisedbytears.Therewillbeaneedto c congregate,tosignbooksofcondolence,tobearwitness, o D topayrespects,tosharetheloss.Thisiswhathistoryfeels like.Wearelivingthroughoneofitsgreat,heart-stopping caesurasasacreamyvellumpageisturned.Noneofus willeverforgetwherewewerewhenweheardthenews. 4 Queen h p a r g e l e T ; 8 3 : 4 4 : 7 1 2 2 0 2 p e S . 2 1 : e t a D ; ) m m 0 0 . 0 9 g war,coronation,love,death,corgisand,aboveallelse,anunwaveringdevotiontoduty 2 x 0 0 . 0 Onthecover:Queen 3 ElizabethIIinher 2 ( coachonherwayto : theStateOpeningof t a Parliamentin1971. m Previouspage:at r o Balmoralin2010. F Thispage:inJuly2021 ; f d p . Inthegrave,beautifulwordsoftheClerkofthePrivy wouldnotbeherown.Thankstotheabdication,and X X S Council,‘IthaspleasedAlmightyGodtocalltoHis barringherparentsproducingamaleheir,sheknew - E C AG MercyourlateSovereignLadyQueenElizabethIIof that, one day, she would be Queen. Her maternal 5 GETTYIM bleLssizedTraunsds,golonrlyioaupspmoienmteodrPy.r’imeMinisterlastweekby gbryahnedrmboetdheanrdswporaryeetdhafot,reavbearbyynbigrohtth,eLri,libbuettnkenveelrt -A00 GE: theQueen(andwithsuchalovelysmile),wasamongthe againdidshegiveanysignthattheroledauntedor 2 SPA firsttobetoldofHerMajesty’sdeath,wasalertedbythe scaredher.Destiny’schildhad‘anairofauthorityand 92 THI code‘LondonBridgeisdown’.Thatfeelsaboutright, reflectivenessastonishinginaninfant’,accordingto 0 S. 7 ES doesn’tit?AniconicfeatureoftheBritishlandscapehas WinstonChurchill,whowouldbecomethefirstof 1 PR - A goneforgoodandnowwearelefttomourn,butalsoto her15primeministers. 1 AMER marvelattheunspokenbondbetweenasovereignand Onher21stbirthday,inApril1947,PrincessEliza- 7- R/C hersubjects.Sinceweweresmall,weweretaughttoask bethmadeabroadcasttotheBritishCommonwealth CT DE Godtosaveher,tomakeherhappyandgloriousandlong andEmpirethatwastodefineeverythingthatfol- G AL G NC toreignoverus.Thatprayerwasanswered.Answeredso lowed.‘Itisverysimple,’shesaid,‘Ideclarebeforeyou - A C ULI well,infact,thatfornighonsevendecadesshecouldbe allthatmywholelife,whetheritbelongorshort,shall C P2-3:J twaaksebnoetnhtairteimlyefoorfugnrapnretecde.dHenetrerdecchoarndg-beraenadkirnegmraerikgan- tbaendceev,othteedctloipypoeudrvseorivceic,efl.’uAttinmgowreitthhanner7v0eyse,asrosu’dnidss- 005 ESS. blestability.Thatsecurity,theunderlyingsensethatall impossiblyposh–shesays‘thenkyou’and‘heppy’.No 1 R RAP shallbewell,andallmannerofthingsshallbewell,was onetalkslikethatanymore.Whatendures,andIfindit t: ME hergreatestgifttous.Onlynowthatherreignisovercan hardtohearitwithoutcrying,isthecommitmentto n A e VE/C wefullyappreciateourgoodfortune. duty.Inherclear-eyedcandour,shewasmorelikea um CHI TheQueen’slifestoryhasacquiredthearchetypal novitiatenunrenouncingthevanityoftheworldto c DAR forceoffairytale.TherewasflightyUncleDavid,the pursueavocation.Wehavegrownaccustomedtothe Do EL weak,vainKingEdwardVIII,whofellunderthespellof promisesofpoliticians,whicharewritteninhotair, FI H wickedwitchWallisSimpson,allowingthecountryto butthisonewasforkeeps. C R:LI berescuedbythegoodprincess.Elizabethwas10years How lucky we were. The monarchy, which has E OV andeightmonthsoldwhenshefoundoutthatherlife thrownupsomeprizepopinjaysandpratsdownthe C 5 QUEEN ELIZABETH II h p a r g e l e T ; 8 0 : 2 2 : 7 1 2 2 0 2 p e S . 2 1 : e t a D ; ) m m 0 0 . 0 9 2 x 0 0 . 0 3 2 ( : t a m r o F ; f d p . X X - Choosingapenniless,trickyforeignerwastheQueen’ssingleactof C 6 0 rebellion–buteventhatturnedouttobeasensiblemove 0 A - 2 2 9 0 7 (cid:181) centuries,gavetheseislesinthoseexhaustedpostwar juststrolleddownoffMountOlympus.Andnicedirection 1 - 20November1972: years an enchantingly serious, lovely young woman of a rather determined maiden’s eye ended in a love 1 celebratingthe - whobecameasymbolofthehopethatthecountryhad matchwithPrincePhilip. 7 QueenandDukeof foughtfor.Itmatteredagooddealforthestatureofour Inalonganddisciplinedlife,choosingapenniless, T Edinburgh’ssilver C weddinganniversary future Queen, trained to change spark plugs in the trickyforeignerwastheQueen’ssingleactofrebellion, GG AuxiliaryTerritorialService,thatshehadlivedthrough buteventhatturnedouttobeasensiblemove.Herhus- - C whatshecalledthe‘terribleandgloriousyearsoftheSec- bandbecameacrucialpartofhersuccess;hiscertainty C ondWorldWar’.Itonlyaddedlustretothemyththat,on boostedherconfidence,hisimpatiencemodernisedacal- 6 0 VEDay,anincognitoprincesswascarriedonawaveof cifiedCourt,hispresencemadethepersonintheloneliest 0 1 euphoriatoTrafalgarSquare.LikeCinderellainreverse, jobintheworldlessalone.Plus,theQueencouldremain attheendofthenightshehadtoputawaynormalclothes beyondreproachwhileitwastheDukeofEdinburghmak- : t andreturntothePalace. ingallthose‘gaffes’andprovidingcoveringfireforher. n e Everyfairytaleneedsitshandsomeprince.Whenit ‘Quitesimply,mystrengthandstayalltheseyears,’shesaid m u cametofindingahusband,though,Elizabethcouldecho ofhimontheirgoldenweddinganniversaryin1997.Some c PortiainTheMerchantofVenice:‘IntermsofchoiceIam ofthehappiestphotosareofherburstingoutlaughingat o D not solely led/By nice direction of a maiden’s eyes/ somethingtheDukejustsaidthatheshouldn’thave. S E Besides,thelotteryofmydestiny/Barsmetherightof As newlyweds in Malta, Philip pursued his naval G A M voluntarychoosing.’ExceptLilibetwas13whenshefirst careerandElizabethenjoyedplayinghouse.Withthe YI sawablondnavalcadetwholookedlikeagodwhohad birthofCharles,asonandheir,in1948,lifelookedgood ETT G 6 h p a r g e l e T ; 8 0 : 2 2 : 7 1 2 2 0 2 p e S . 2 1 : e t a D ; ) m m 0 0 . 0 9 2 x 0 0 . 0 3 2 ( : t a m r o F ; f d p . X X (cid:179) - Withthecorgisin C 1974–theQueen 7 0 ownedmorethan 0 30duringherreign A - 2 2 9 0 7 andwasmadeevenbetterwhentheycompletedapigeon TheQueen’ssubjectsinPapuaNewGuineaputitmore 1 - pairtwoyearslaterwiththeirdaughter,Anne.Butthe concisely:‘Mamabelongbigfamily.’ 1 - leaseonnormalitywasshort. Itmattered,too,thatshewasawoman.Althoughthe 7 On Tuesday 2 June 1953, Elizabeth was crowned Queenwouldneverhavethoughtofherselfasafeminist, T C Queen.OverhalfthepopulationwatchedtheCoronation hersuccessasawise,steadyingcounselto14primeminis- G G ontelevision,aspellbindingnoveltythatshowedBritons terswasthegreatestpossiblesubliminaladvertforfemale - C theirnewmonarchinherceremonialfinery.TheCrown power.Inanewspapercolumnof1952,onewriterargued C lookedtooweightyonthatgirlishhead,butshehadprac- that,‘If,asmanyearnestlypray,theaccessionofElizabeth 7 0 tisedwalkinginitandtherobesthatwereheavierthana IIcanhelptoremovethelastshredsofprejudiceagainst 0 1 marine’sfullkitforhourafterhour,upanddownthe womenaspiringtothehighestplaces,thenanewerafor throneroominBuckinghamPalace,untilshehadthe womenwillindeedbeathand.’Itmusthaveworked.The : t ceremonybyheart.Ithelpedthatshewasyoungandthat columnist’snamewasMargaretThatcher. n e sheandherpeoplewouldgrowandlearntogether.The ThosearethefactsoftheQueen’searlylife.Wecan m u awewastemperedbyprotectiveness.Itwasraining– all,tosomeextent,recitethehighsandthelowsofthe c ofcourseitwasraining–butnothingcoulddampen yearsthatfollowed.ThefirstscandalwasPrincessMar- o D theenthusiasmofthecrowdsforwhatthesociologist garetbeingdeniedpermissiontomarryadivorcee(abit- S E G MichaelYoungcalled‘anactofnationalcommunion… ter irony since three of the monarch’s four children A M YI one family knit together with another in one great endedupdivorced,asourceofimmensepaintosucha ETT nationalfamilythroughidentificationwithmonarchy’. devoutChristian).ButtheQueenherselfhadexceptional G 7 QUEEN ELIZABETH II steadinessofcharacterandrarelyputafootwrong.The eadem – always the same, which doesn’t mean dull, errorsofsevendecadesinthelimelightyoucancounton thoughsomeaccusedherofthat.BrendawasPrivate onehand.Astonishing,really. Eye’snicknameforher.Theyweren’ttheonlyonesto Undoubtedly,theclosestshecametodisasterwasin mockorpatronise.‘DuchessesfindtheQueendowdy, h 1997 when she stayed at Balmoral after the death of frumpishandbanal,’onesnobbycriticopined. p a PrincessDiana,notunderstandingthatsheneededto Perhapstheydid.Butshesuitedtherestofusdownto r g provideafocalpointforpublicgrief.Thereticenceand theground.TheBritishmistrustintellectualsandshow- e l strictadherencetoprotocolthathadservedhersowell offs.IfHerMajestystartedthedaywiththeRacingPost(and e wereahandicapinthisnewblurty,moreemotionalage. TheDailyTelegraph)andpreferred horses anddogsto T ‘Showusyoucare,’demandedtheExpress.Forafewdays, humans,thenthatendearedhertoanationofanimallov- ; 8 republicanismcrackledlikestaticintheLondonairuntil ers.The30corgisshekeptthroughoutherlife(starting 3 theQueencamehometothePalaceandmadeabroadcast withSusan,whocameonhoneymoon,obviously)becamea : 2 tothenation.Inheruniformofmourning–blackdress royaltrademark.Welikedthatshewasfrugal,withahope- 2 : withpearlsandwonderfuldiamondbrooch–shespoke lesstwo-barelectricfirevaliantlyattemptingtodefrostthe 7 1 oftheoverwhelmingexpressionsofsadness.‘So,whatI roomwhereshereceivedguestsatBuckinghamPalace. saytoyounow,asyourQueen,andasagrandmother,Isay Ifshemainlystucktocheerfulblockcoloursforpublic 2 2 frommyheart,’shesaid.Thespeechwastouchingenough appearances,thatwasbecausebeingvisibletoherpeople 0 2 toappeasethevast,restlesscrowdyoucouldglimpse wasmoreimportantthanstyle.Besides,iftheQueen p throughthewindowbehindher,butthat‘asyourQueen’ wasn’tàlamode,itmeantsheneverwentoutoffashion. e hadareprovingglintofsteel.Elizabethhadneverstooped Whileglitziermonarchiesfellintodisrepute,ourTupper- S (cid:180) . toconquer,andsheneverwould. waremodelwentfromstrengthtostrength.Bysubtle 2 14May2012:insouth 1 Wheneverherpeoplefeltletdown,shemadecautious deploymentofthethreeDs–duty,decency,diligence– Londonduringthe adjustmentswhilecleavingtoElizabethI’smotto,semper shesilencedtherepublicancauseforaslongasshelived. DiamondJubileetour e: t a D (cid:182) ; TheQueenandthe ) m Duke,WindsorCastle, m April2014 0 0 . 0 9 2 x 0 0 . 0 3 2 ( : t a m r o F ; f d p . X X - C 8 0 0 A - 2 2 9 0 7 1 - 1 - 7 T C G G - C C 8 0 0 1 : t n e m u c o D S E G A M YI ETT G 8 h p a r g e l e T ; 8 3 : 2 2 : 7 1 2 2 0 2 p e S . 2 1 : e t a D ; ) m m 0 0 . 0 9 2 x 0 0 . 0 3 2 ( : t a m r o ‘Ideclarebeforeyouallthatmywholelife,whetheritbelong F ; f orshort,shallbedevotedtoyourservice’ d p . X X - C 9 0 Even those who despised the monarchical system simple.Ayoungwomanvowingtorepresseveryselfish 0 couldn’thelpbutadmiretheQueen. impulse,treaddownallunrulyfeelingsanddedicateher- A - Didwereallyknowher?Idon’tthinkwedid,butthat’s selftoanabstractidealofnationhoodonbehalfofmil- 2 2 ratherthepoint.ElizabethIIwasthemostphotographed lionsofpeopleisn’tsimple.Butshedidit.OurQueen. 9 womaninhistory,butsheremainedanenigmauntilthe Alas, she isn’t here today, in black dress, pearls, 0 7 end,andthiswaskeytohersuccess.OurQueen.Asshe andthatwonderfuldiamondbrooch,toexplaintoushow 1 - gotolder,welovedhermore.Whatwemayoncehave todealwiththeunfathomablevoidthatherdeathleaves. 1 - perceivedascoldnessbecameapricelessinabilitytofake But,ifwelookbackattheaddressshegavetothenation 7 emotion.Whileothersdebasedtheirstandardsinpursuit afterhermotherdied,Ireckonwegetastrongsenseof T C ofcelebrity,theQueenheldback.Weneverenviedother howshewouldwantustobe:‘Attheceremonytomorrow, G G countrieswiththeirpassingparadeofpresidentsbecause I hope that sadness will blend with a wider sense of - C weknewthatwehadher,theincorruptible,themost thanksgiving,notjustforherlifebutforthetimesin C loyal,thebest.OurQueen. whichshelived–acenturyforthiscountryandtheCom- 9 0 Duringherlongreign,theUnitedKingdommayhave monwealthnotwithoutitstrialsandsorrows,butalsoone 0 1 movedfrominstinctivedeferencetoraucousscepticism, ofextraordinaryprogress,fullofexamplesofcourageand fromimperialgianttoserviceprovider,buttheQueen serviceaswellasfunandlaughter…Ithankyoufrommy : t continuedtobelieveinus.Inherbroadcasts,sheurged heartfortheloveyougaveherduringherlifeandthehon- n e uponus‘allthoseindividualinstancesofkindnessand ouryounowgiveherindeath.MayGodblessyouall.’ m u respect’andbroughtusback,quietlybutinsistently,to Closeyoureyesandyouwillalwaysseeher,stepping c theChristianfaiththatsustainedher. outofacar,glovedhandextended,acceptingaposyfrom o D ‘Itisverysimple,’shesaidallthoseyearsago,‘Ideclare achild,asmilethatlitupthatHanoverianface,handbag beforeyouallthatmywholelife,whetheritbelong inthecrookofherarm,placingonecourtshoeinfront orshort,shallbedevotedtoyourservice.’Butitwasn’t oftheother,keepingherpromisetoserveuntilherlast simple,wasit?Turningyourselfintoalivingsymbolisn’t breath.OurQueen. 9 s h 0 p a r g e l e T ; 0 1 : 3 2 : 2 7 1 2 2 0 2 p e S . 2 1 9 : e t a D ; ) m m 0 0 . 0 1 9 2 x 0 0 . 0 3 2 ( : t a m r o F ; f d p . X X - C (cid:180) 0 ThethenDukeand 1 0 DuchessofYorkwith A theirdaughter - 2 PrincessElizabeth 2 AlexandraMaryin 9 0 theRoyalfamily 7 christeningrobe,1926 1 - 1 - 7 T C ‘A character. She has an air G G - of authority and reflectiveness C C 0 1 astonishing in an infant’ 0 1 : t WinstonChurchill n S e ES m PR u A c ER o AM D C S, E G A M YI ETT G 10