She was a young mum of 25 when she took on the job she promised she would do for the rest of her life. Now 89 and today becoming Britain’s longest serving monarch, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II has never wavered from her vow to serve her people to the best of her ability. After 63 years and seven months in her job, and at an age when work is a distant memory for most people, the Queen still puts in long hours carrying out her official duties, most of them unseen by the public.
Her work ethic is astounding, but as far as the Queen is concerned, she is just doing her duty. She didn’t want any public celebrations to be held when her reign surpasses that of her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria on September 9 because she feared that would be disrespectful towards her formidable predecessor.
On September 9, 1952, the Queen vowed to serve her people to the best of her ability.
The Queen and her great-great-granny might both have their sense of duty and longevity in common, but they were very different in many respects. Victoria was 81 when her reign ended with her death in 1901, but she had spent the previous 40 years in seclusion after her husband Prince Albert died from typhoid fever.
Dressed only in mournful black, she was hardly ever seen by her people, unlike our Queen, who carries out between 300 to 400 public engagements a year.
Her Majesty’s daily tasks include reading letters from the public, official papers and briefing notes. She also meets with government ministers, ambassadors, military staff, civil servants, newly appointed bishops and judges, and hosts numerous receptions, lunches and visits of dignitaries.
Visits to charities, schools, hospitals and other places are usually held in the afternoon and require her to travel long distances around the country or overseas. On the day she becomes Britain’s longest reigning monarch, she will be in Scotland, opening a new railway line.
A happy Princess Elizabeth, Prince Charles, Princess Anne and Prince Philip in Canada the year before her coronation.
In the evening, there are often dinners, receptions, concerts and meetings to attend. Every night before bed, she makes sure she reads a report of the day’s proceedings in parliament. She also manages to fit in seeing family, although the time she spends with them is usually much less than the hours she puts in to her work. The Queen’s health is partly due to good genes (her mother lived to 101), a healthy diet and being active. Her strategy when it comes to attending dinners is to put her cutlery down between each mouthful, allowing her time to chew her food thoroughly and slow down the rate at which she eats. Her Majesty has also never smoked – she saw the devastating effects it can have when lung cancer claimed the life of her father, George VI.
Her grandson, Prince William, recently paid tribute to her, writing the foreword to the book, Elizabeth II: The Steadfast by Lord Hurd. In it, he says, “The example and continuity provided by the Queen is not only rare among leaders but a great source of pride and reassurance.”
WATCH: The crowning of Queen Elizabeth II
Words by: Judy Kean and Andrew Mackintosh
