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| Royal Monogram of Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee |
The time is
ripe for a royal celebration. The United Kingdom is abuzz this year because it
is Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee. 2012 marks the 60th anniversary of her
ascension to the British throne. A myriad of activities has been going on since
the start of the year with more celebratory activities to come during Central
Weekend, which starts June 2 and ends on the anniversary of her Jubilee, June
5.
Queen
Elizabeth II has served the British and the people of all the other
commonwealth realms, territories and
crown dependencies. She is the representative of Britain's past and present.
The British Empire, once a super power that ruled nations across the globe,
introduced to its subjects the British way of governing, their culture and
their language, English. The Queen continues this tradition by being the face
of the British Monarchy. She symbolizes continuity and stability in the 21st
century.
A princess was born
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| Queen Mary touring London's dockyard area with Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret Rose, May 1939. |
It was on
April 21, 1926, at exactly 2:40 in the morning that Elizabeth Alexandra Mary
graced the world with her presence. Princess Elizabeth of the House of Windsor
was born in Mayfair, London. Her father and mother were the Duke and Duchess of
York. The Duke was later crowned as King George VI and the Duchess became Queen
Elizabeth.
There was
no expectation at all from the people of Britain that the little princess would
become queen one day. After all, she was only third in line to the throne.
Before her were her uncle, Edward, Prince of Wales, and her father.
Princess
Elizabeth lived a charmed life together with Princess Margaret Rose, her
younger sibling. Life was quiet for the whole family at least until King George
V, her grandfather, passed away.
Prince
Edward assumed the throne by virtue of being the eldest son. But King Edward
VIII did not stay long as King. He gave up his crown to marry Mrs. Wallis
Simpson, an American divorcee. It was a scandal that rocked Britain. The Duke
of York then became King George VI in 1937. This made Princess Elizabeth the
first in line to the British throne. Her quiet life then came under scrutiny
because one day she would be Queen of England.
Her and her
sister's education was done at home. She studied all matters required of her
position as future queen. Apart from constitutional history, law, religion and
other essential subjects, Princess Elizabeth learned how to speak French,
studied art, music and engaged in sports.
Marriage, family life and ascending
to the throne
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| Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Coronation portrait, June 1953, London, England. |
Princess
Elizabeth fell in love with Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten whom she married on
November 20, 1947. They married in historic Westminster Abbey. The Second World
War just ended so the ceremony was kept as simple as possible without
diminishing pomp and circumstance. The Lieutenant became His Royal Highness The
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh after the wedding.
In the 64
years that they have been together, the royal couple had four children. From
their four children, they gained eight grandchildren and only one great-grandchild.
Two of their children, Prince Charles (first in line to the throne) and
Princess Anne were born prior to her coronation. Prince Andrew and Prince
Edward came after she assumed the throne.
On February
2,1952, King George VI succumbed to death, news she heard while she was in Kenya.
Her father's death shifted the power to her as she was first in line to the
British throne. Princess Elizabeth found herself being crowned as the new Queen
of England in the Westminster Abbey on June 2, 1953. The well-attended ceremony was also heard on
the radio. It made history since it was the first coronation ever seen on
television.
The Queen and the Commonwealth
Realms
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| Queen Elizabeth II |
Queen
Elizabeth II is the monarch of the United Kingdom, where the official language
is British English. The formal name of the United Kingdom is The United Kingdom
of Great Britain and Northern Ireland; UK or Britain for short. It is one of
the 15 nations that form part of the Commonwealth Realms. There are four
countries that make up the UK: England, Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland.
In these countries, Irish, Welsh, Cornish, and Scottish Gaelic are some of the
recognized regional languages.
The other
nations under the Commonwealth Realms and where Queen Elizabeth II is Head of
State are: Australia, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Canada, Belize, Grenada, New Zealand, Jamaica, Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, St Lucia, St Christopher and
Nevis, St Vincent and the Grenadines, The Bahamas, and Tuvalu. The
Queen is also Head of State of 14 overseas territories and 3 crown dependencies.
The job of Queen Elizabeth II
The United
Kingdom functions under a constitutional monarchy, of which the current monarch
is Queen Elizabeth II. This form of government is in contrast to absolute
monarchy where the king or queen literally made all the decisions for their
subjects and where all governing powers rested on the ruling monarch. In the
United Kingdom, the monarch has no real governing powers. It is the British
Parliament that passes the laws that govern the country. But she does sign all
laws created by parliament.
So what
does the Queen do? A lot! Queen Elizabeth, although not expected to run the
government, serves as its head of state. She is the face of the United Kingdom
and represents the government in trips abroad as well as hosts visiting
dignitaries from all over the world.
The Queen
heads the judiciary as the Fount of Justice. Queen Elizabeth is also the head
of the Armed Forces. Likewise, Queen Elizabeth is head of the Church of
England. Upon advice from the current Prime Minister, she appoints the
archbishops and the bishops of the church first established by King Henry VIII.
Queen
Elizabeth supports many charitable organizations and causes. Her date book is
full of appointments that require her attention. In some of her ceremonial or
diplomatic duties, members of her royal family join her time and again or serve
as her representatives.
The Queen at 60
Queen
Elizabeth has always taken her role seriously. In fact, ceremony and tradition
are very important to her reign. Everything seemed black and white to her. But
it seems she has mellowed a bit. After surviving harsh criticism and the
continuing changing of the times, the Queen today seems to be more accessible
to the common man. She even owns an iPod, has an email account and, if reports
are right, has played several games on a popular gaming platform.
A number of
formalities associated with the House of Windsor have been set aside. A number
of places and treasures associated with the royal family are within reach of
the public. She is using the Internet, through The Official Site of the British
Monarchy, to stay connected with the people. It is a tool for everyone in and
outside of the monarchy to know more about her, her family, and her duties as
queen.
There are
many events that have transpired since the beginning of the 2012 (and even
before that) in preparation for Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee. More
activities are lined up at the local and national level in the UK and in the
other realms, territories and crown dependencies in the next few days, weeks
and months. All of these can be found in the official website of her diamond
jubilee. In some of these events, participation of other members of the royal
family is expected.
It looks
like the Queen is not ready to relinquish her throne just yet. Queen Elizabeth
II may not be part of running the governments under the Commonwealth Realms but
she does play an important role. She is the link to all the Commonwealth
Realms, overseas territories and crown dependencies, which were all part of the
British Empire at one point in history.
Queen
Elizabeth II has been handling more than 400 engagements each year. She also
supports over 600 charities. The beloved Queen of England continues to perform her royal duties to the best of her abilities and at
the same time, play grandmother and great-grandmother to her grandchildren and
great-grandchild.
To Her
Majesty Elizabeth II, Happy Diamond Jubilee!
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Photo Credits: Wikimedia Commons
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