A Brief History of the Private Life of Elizabeth II Read Free

Washington.
    She is, by nature, quietly dutiful. The British have come to regard this as normal in sovereigns, for George V and VI have also been of this type. While this gives journalists less to write
about, it makes the monarchy inoffensive – therefore popular – and provides society with a feeling of stability. Queen Elizabeth is, to a large extent, taken for granted by many of her
own subjects. None of them under the age of 60 will have known any other ruler. She has been there all their lives, and appears ageless – at any rate she continues to pursue an active and
demanding round of duties. She remains ubiquitous inBritish life – broadcasting every Christmas Day, appearing in the news as she opens something or tours a city or
welcomes a visiting Head of State. Her face is a national icon, endlessly seen on postcards and plates and tea towels. It is on every stamp her subjects stick and on every coin they spend –
and the number of these runs into billions. Occasionally she is criticised in the media for looking glum or for dressing unimaginatively, but if this is true it is not enough to threaten national
approval ratings that consistently stay between 80 and 90 per cent. Mostly, coverage of her is respectful, and therefore may seem dull.
    It is often a good deal livelier in other countries for, though she herself is usually treated with respect, the stories reported there are frequently exaggerations or outright inventions.
Without the constraints of deference or litigation that apply in Britain, journalists can afford to be more colourful. France Dimanche , for instance, specialises in reporting alleged
quarrels in the Royal Family – it has frequently predicted the Queen’s imminent divorce – as well as numerous threats to abdicate. Abroad, the notion of a monarch is, in any case,
often something of a novelty. When she went to St Petersburg (the first British monarch to do so) in 1994, a member of the public was quoted as saying: ‘We see presidents all the time, but
how often do we have a visit from a real queen?’ When a German was asked what is the function of his country’s Federal President – for the government is run by the Chancellor
– he thought for an instant and replied: ‘It means we have someone to meet the Queen when she comes on visits.’ She is, in other words, a reference point – an affirmation of
their own importance – even for people in countries with which she has no connection. More than two centuries after American independence, this descendant of the Colonies’ former ruler
is sometimes seen as more than a VIP when she goes to the USA. In 2007 she visited Richmond, Virginia shortly after a number of students at a nearby university had been massacred by a gunman. Itwas arranged that the Queen meet the families of victims and spend time with them in private conversation. It is difficult to imagine any other foreign dignitary – except
perhaps the Pope – doing such a thing.
    But what exactly is it that she does? She presides over a country that is run by others. She makes Acts of Parliament – and all sorts of other documents – legal by putting her
signature on them. She appoints ministers, ambassadors, bishops, judges and military officers. She gives out medals to those people others have deemed worthy of them. She discusses the state of the
country every week with the head of the government, and is allowed to suggest or advise solutions to problems, though she herself cannot even vote. She is required to be constantly on show, so that
people throughout her realms will know she is aware of them and interested in what they are doing, and this takes a good deal of her time. She has to represent the nation abroad so as to improve
relations with other countries, and to represent it at home by speaking to her people at moments of national significance, as well as by opening important buildings or exhibitions or sporting
events. She leads the country’s