Things which I love about the UK… The Queen
Queen Elizabeth II, born 21 April 1926, is an amazing woman.
To me she is a shining example of what made the UK one of the greatest empires on Earth. She is extremely dignified, poised, eloquent, stoic and an example to all other women of how to behave.
She’s reigned through so may era’s and the world has altered so much around her. It’s so wonderful that she has remained consistent during this time; an anchor to the British while the world has raced through blistering changes. Some may say this is bad thing – when Princess Diana died the Queen’s initial silence on the matter was severely criticised. I don’t believe this was intentional – she personifies the stiff upper lip the British were renowned for and her response to Diana’s untimely death was in line with how she has always lived. She does not air her grief in public, a trait which the British have now become accustomed. Indeed when her own mother died she displayed a dignified silence although I am sure behind closed doors she dealt with this loss in her own way.
Apart from her myriad of admirable personality traits she and her family are an asset to the British public in real terms too. I would guess that the majority of people travelling to the UK as tourists each year do so in order to visit some or other Royal-related tourist attraction. What trip would be complete to London without riding the Tube, catching a red bus and visiting Buckingham Palace or stopping off to view the crown jewels in the Tower of London? The Queen is at the centre of all this – she’s on every bank note, she has her Christmas speech, she travels tirelessly as an ambassador for the UK, she’s a part of the fabric of every day UK life.
It saddens me when I hear Republicans moaning about “what a waste of money the Royal family are.” They are worth at least ten fold, if not more, than what they are paid each year by taxpayers. The UK would just be some island offshoot of the EU if it weren’t for the Monarchy. There is too much important history, culture and goodwill to jeopardise our relationship with them.
I hope that we have at least another ten years of her reign. Who will take over from her when she’s gone is another matter altogether but for now I’ll continue to admire and respect this great icon of our times.
God Bless the Queen!
