In her 66 years on the throne, there aren’t many accolades or awards The Queen hasn’t received, but next week during the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, the topic of nominating her for a Nobel Peace Prize will be on the table.
“It is being discussed by different high commissioners,” a source told The Telegraph. “They want to nominate her for what she has done for the Commonwealth.”
The Queen, according to those wanting to nominate her, would be nominated on the merits of her tireless work to support and strengthen the Commonwealth.
The source continued, “If someone nominates her and she is successful, I think the whole country would be thrilled to bits and consider her fully deserving.”
Labour MP Frank Field agreed, saying that “I think it is a rather good idea. If she is not going to get it on that record – given the special nature of the Commonwealth, which could be such a force for peaceful change – then who would?”
The process for being nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize is strict. A person must be nominated by someone qualified by the Norwegian Nobel Committee, which can include members of government, university professors in specific fields, past recipients, and past or present members of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, among others. From there, a shortlist is compiled, and a winner is determined from there.
Past recipients of the Nobel Peace Prize include the founder of the Red Cross, President Theodore Roosevelt, Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson, Martin Luther King, Jr., Mother Teresa, Elie Wiesel, and President Obama.
Although it’s considered a good idea amongst politicians and those who will be present at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, not everyone agrees that The Queen should be nominated.
“I suppose given that the peace prize has been given to Kissinger after Cambodia and Obama before he did anything, the bar has been set low,” historian Richard Drayton told The Guardian.
