Who wouldn’t want to emulate the traits of our late Queen? She was a model of duty, honour and sacrifice who meant so much to so many of us.
I went to bed last night, somewhat light-heartedly tweeting that 2022 had better leave Queen Elizabeth alone.
It never entered my mind that I’d wake up to the news that Her Majesty had passed.
She was constant. She was steady. She was leadership in the face of extraordinary adversity over generations. She was grace and sacrifice.
She was many things that women my age, and younger (much younger) would do well to embody.
I say all of this as neither a Monarchist nor a Republican.
I’m not a Monarchist in the traditional sense but I was a great admirer of Elizabeth Windsor as a woman who modelled behaviour and characteristics any of us would be proud to be known for.
Thrust into the role of Monarch in her 20s, she walked into that role knowing the cost.
She shouldered a responsibility that others in her family older and allegedly wiser, had run from.
Many of you might say, oh but she lived the life of a Royal. Who in their right mind would wish that upon someone?
Sure, if you’re talking about things material, but that’s not what makes a life.
In recent years, I watched with increasing curiosity the lives of the British Royals play out as they struggled to modernise, to adapt to changing expectations and social and cultural norms.
Her Majesty rode that wave with grace and humility. She spoke of service and sacrifice and modelled them both till her last breath.
As a friend said to me this morning, part of me thinks her extraordinary sense of duty would have kept her going until she swore in the new British Prime Minister, Liz Truss. I truly believe that.
For young girls, and older ones like me, there are few greater role models to aspire to emulate.
Duty. Honour. Sacrifice. Service. Selflessness. Stoicism. Work ethic. Resilience. Steadfastness.
Who wouldn’t want to emulate these traits? You might think it unfashionable to say so but since when was fashion anything other than fleeting.
The love she shared with Prince Phillip. Her renowned and extraordinary work ethic.
Her reputation for tolerating zero nonsense. The deft way she managed the no-doubt painful carryon with Harry and Meghan Markle.
Insisting that the Royals be a working family. The wonderful sense of humour she had, that most of us only really saw at her recent Jubilee celebrations.
Honestly, her comic timing was superb and for the record, that Paddington clip was genius not just in concept but in execution.
Queen Elizabeth the Second was so much to so many of us who never did anything but watch her on a screen. May she rest in peace.
To join the conversation, please log in. Don’t have an account? Register
Join the conversation, you are commenting as Logout
Our Apps