Queen Elizabeth II Celebrates Diamond Jubilee

    

 

Credit: en.wikipedia.org

As a proud and happy citizen of the United States, I’ve always considered our government the best ever.  I love the democracy of the citizens of our country having the choice, and the means to elect our leaders.  Our presidential candidates have the opportunity to lay out their platforms before the people and we have the privilege of making a choice of the person that we, the majority of voters, feel will make the best commander-in-chief for America.  Yes, a government by the people, for the people, and of the people.  Many of us, rather smugly at times, have viewed the English monarchy as a rather stuffy lot.  I, too, was guilty of this.  That is until I got, almost involuntarily, sucked into watching the global coverage of Queen Elizabeth’s Diamond Jubilee Celebration.

It was virtually impossible to watch the hundreds of thousands of cheering faces, many with tears streaming, hailing their queen, and not be moved.  Read this article for fascinating details about the Diamond Jubilee events.  A rock star’s got nothing on the royal family.  Of course we applaud our presidents, but then again why wouldn’t we?  We chose them.

It really says something when the people of a country adore a queen that was born to the position.  The people had no voice in her being their leader, yet they are thrilled.  Oh they might not have been happy with every single decision she has made over the past 60 years.  And like any family, they have had their troubles.  The Prince Charles, Princess Diana, and mistress Camilla debacle comes to mind.  But in retrospect, these are probably some of the very things that preserve their connection to the “common” people.  Who amongst us have not had things happen in our own families that we thank God are not played out in the eye of the public?

Watching the Diamond Jubilee festivities got me to wondering.  Yes, being a royal is a birthright.  But who was the first King of England and how did he gain the title?  Well here’s a little trivia for your next cocktail party.  You can find the whole story here.  In short, King Aethelstan was the first King of a unified England and that position came as a combination of birthright and outright forceful takeover.  That’s right, force.  It wasn’t always all about polite society, tea and crumpets.  But that’s a story for another summer blockbuster movie.

Suffice it to say, that I really enjoyed watching the pageantry and history of Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee.  She has been married to the same man, Prince Philip Mountbatten, since 1947.  And we can see through our own Hollywood couples (our royalty in a sense) that this is quite a feat to sustain a relationship in the spotlight as a power couple.  And I was surprised to learn that she became queen at the age of 26. 

 Credit:  rosecestlavie.blogspot.com

 

Most of us are still trying to “find” ourselves at that age, let alone lead a country.  Quite an interesting tale and I look forward to watching the royal story continue to unfold.  Congratulations Queen Elizabeth II.  God Bless the Queen!!!