"I declare
before you all that my whole life, whether it be long or short, shall be
devoted to your service and the service of our great imperial family to which
we all
belong."
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| Queen Elizabeth II shortly after her accession in 1952. |
The Queen
made this vow at the tender age of 21 to an empire that stretched all over the
world. Sixty-five years later, the Queen held on to her vow of doing her duties
for the service of the people of Great Britain, for the upheaval of the dignity
of the Crown that she held nearly 60 years from now, and for the propagation of
British culture and tradition despite the changing times.
Today, Queen
Elizabeth II celebrates her eighty-sixth birthday. She was born Princess Elizabeth
Alexandra Mary to the Duke and Duchess
of York, who ascended to the British throne in 1936 as the King George VI and
Queen Elizabeth, later affectionately known as the Queen Mother. In 1952, she
ascended to the throne and was crowned queen in 1953.
Her reign signaled
the transition of Great Britain from being the world’s greatest power to
becoming of the major players in international diplomacy. Her reign itself saw
the modernization of the British monarchy to adapt the changing needs of times,
as well as to reach out even more to the people that it serves. Today, the
Queen is a symbol of everything that Great Britain stood for and continues to stand
for—a country that pays respect to the richness of its culture and past, while
serving as a model institution of good governance and transparency to the whole
world.
Indeed, the
Queen’s duties may be summarized in her statement she gave many years ago: “I
cannot lead you into battle. I do not give you laws or administer justice but I
can do something else - I can give my heart and my devotion to these old
islands and to all the peoples of our brotherhood of nations.”
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