It was a heartfelt vow made when Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II had just turned 21 and was yet to take the throne.
“I declare before you all that my whole life, whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service,” she said during a speech to mark her milestone birthday.
She kept her pledge right up until the very end of what turned out to be a long and remarkable life. And as her heir – now King Charles III – said in his tender tribute to his “darling Mama”, “That was more than just a promise; it was a profound personal commitment that defined her whole life.
Under the arch of a rainbow, crowds gather outside Buckingham Palace.
“She made sacrifices for duty. Her dedication and devotion as sovereign never wavered, through times of change and progress, through times of joy and celebration, and through times of sadness and loss.”
The 96-year-old Queen was still working two days before her death on Thursday September 8 at Balmoral Castle. She met with politician Liz Truss to appoint her as the United Kingdom’s new Prime Minister, and also accepted the resignation of outgoing PM Boris Johnson.
The final images taken of her in front of a blazing fire in her Scottish residence show her looking frail but sporting a familiar warm smile as she leaned on a walking stick and peered over the top of her glasses.
Due to failing health, during the last 10 months of her life she’d had to cancel several engagements or change the way things were done so her responsibilities weren’t too taxing. But she continued as best she could in a role that she had not chosen but accepted as her destiny. She was the very epitome of both dignity and determination, embodying the saying, Keep calm and carry on.
A smiling Queen two days before her passing.
The day after that last appointment with the new and former Prime Ministers, she had planned to take part in a virtual Privy Council meeting until doctors advised that after her busy schedule, it would be a good idea to rest.
The next day, Thursday, Buckingham Palace announced at lunchtime that the Queen’s doctors were concerned for her health and had recommended she remain under medical supervision.
Her two eldest children, Charles and Princess Anne, were in Scotland and rushed to her bedside. Sons Prince Andrew and Prince Edward, daughter-in-law Sophie, Countess of Wessex and grandson Prince William hurriedly boarded an RAF jet to Scotland. Prince Harry – who happened to be making a rare visit to the UK from his home in California – made his way north on a separate private flight. The official announcement came at 6.30pm: “The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon.”
Charles released a statement saying the death of his beloved mother was a moment of great sadness for him and the
whole family.
“We mourn profoundly the passing of a cherished sovereign and a much-loved mother. I know her loss will be deeply felt throughout the country, the realms and the Commonwealth, and by countless people around the world.”
He was right – there has been a massive outpouring of heartfelt emotion for a woman renowned for once saying, “Grief is the price we pay for love.”
Tributes poured in from around the world, including from leaders like US President Joe Biden, who said, “In a world of constant change, she was a steadying presence and a source of comfort and pride for generations of Britons, including many who have never known their country without her. She, in turn, dedicated her whole life to their service.”
Our Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern described the Queen as a “much loved and admired monarch, whose record reign of 70 years is an absolute testament to her and her commitment to us all. She was extraordinary.”
She recalled being humbled the first time she met the monarch by her “intimate knowledge of New Zealand and its triumphs and challenges”. She also related how the Queen had called her during the first months of the Covid pandemic to see how New Zealand was coping with lockdown.
Thousands of shocked Britons gathered outside royal residences, including Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle, to mourn Her Majesty. One tearful man described her as “more than a figurehead, a beacon of stability”. A weeping woman said, “She was the absolute epitome of grace and dignity, but she also felt like she was your grandmother.”
Charles and Camilla were touched by the outpouring of love.
Royal household staff also expressed their devastation. One said, “However much you try to prepare yourself for this moment, it still hits you like a ton of bricks. She is irreplaceable. I just can’t believe we won’t see that impish smile again.”
Many royal family members have gone to see the sea of flowers and messages, including William and Kate, who King Charles has named the Prince and Princess of Wales. They were surprisingly joined by Harry and Meghan for a 40-minute walkabout after William extended an “11th-hour olive branch” to his younger brother. It is the first time the two couples have come together since Commonwealth Day on March 9, 2020 and may indicate their ongoing feud is beginning to heal as the Queen had hoped.
William and Kate may be united in grief with Harry and Meghan, but they’re still not seeing eye to eye.
Elizabeth II will go down in history as one of the greatest British monarchs of all time, yet she was never expected to take the throne. When she was born on April 21, 1926, the eldest child of King George V’s second son Albert, the line of succession was expected to carry on through her uncle David, later Edward VIII. But his abdication after just 10 months as King meant her father became George VI and Elizabeth was the heir apparent at age 10. Her life changed from that moment on.
After becoming the monarch at only 25, following the untimely death of her father, Elizabeth went onto have a record-breaking 70-year reign. Just three months ago, she celebrated her Platinum Jubilee – she was not only the UK’s longest- serving monarch but the second longest-serving sovereign in history after France’s Louis XIV.
The world has changed enormously since she acceded to the throne and she remained her nation’s anchor from the aftermath
of World War II through to the recent pandemic. Just as her family led by example with their bravery during the London Blitz, she provided inspiration with the stirring speech she gave to rally the nation locked down due to Covid.
Waving their thanks (from left) Lady Louise, Sophie, Price Andrew, Prince Edward, Princess Anne and her husband Timothy Laurence.
“We’ll meet again,” she promised, evoking Britain’s wartime spirit.
In her lifetime, she held weekly meetings with 15 British Prime Ministers; championed thousands of charities and worthy causes; attended countless meetings, receptions, investitures, state dinners and openings of businesses, hospitals, schools and Parliaments; travelled to over 100 nations; and shook the hands of an estimated three quarters of a million strangers.
She has been a source of strength and empathy during tough times, and national tragedies both in Britain and the Commonwealth, while facing more than her fair share of trauma within her own family. A mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, she weathered many storms with her beloved husband, Prince Philip, by her side until his death, at 99, last year.
One of the most poignant images of the Queen shows her sitting alone at Philip’s funeral, adhering to strict social-distancing rules thanks to Covid, and presenting a sad but strong figure as she mourned the loss of the man she called her “strength and stay”. They were married for 73 years.
Always a model of decorum, she behaved impeccably during formal occasions but had a great sense of humour and delighted people with moments of warmth and wit. Two recent cases in point were her unexpected appearance with James Bond star Daniel Craig in a video clip to kick off the 2012 London Olympics, and her sweet and funny skit with Paddington Bear as part of her Platinum Jubilee celebrations.
She delighted fans by taking tea with Paddington Bear.
Renowned for her relentless work ethic, strong faith, humility, grace, diligence and compassion, the Queen had, as Charles put it in his tribute to her, an abiding love of tradition, together with a fearless embrace of progress.
Her passing is the end of an incredible era. In 1953, just a year into her reign, she gave her second Christmas Day message from Government House in Auckland, where she was in the midst of a Commonwealth tour. She talked about how some people had expressed the hope that her reign would mark “a new Elizabethan Age”.
“Frankly, I do not myself feel at all like my great Tudor forbear, who was blessed with neither husband nor children, who ruled as a despot and was never able to leave her native shores.”
Instead, she talked about her hopes for an “equal partnership of nations and races. To that, I shall give myself, heart and soul, every day of my life,” she promised.
And she did.
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