The majority of us were born in Queen Elizabeth II’s reign and she is the only Monarch we have ever known. She has become such a steady figure in our lives that it is quite hard to picture life without Britain’s longest-reigning monarch. At 95 years of age, it is perhaps natural that people are concerned about her wellbeing.
The recent news of The Queen resting on doctors’ orders and spending a night in hospital while ‘preliminary investigations’ are undertaken have raised concerns over the health of our Monarch.
On October 19th 2021, there was surprise at the news of The Queen cancelling her trip to Northern Ireland to ‘reluctantly’ rest for the next few days.Then Buckingham Palace released a new statement the following evening announcing The Queen had stayed overnight at the King Edward VII’s hospital for ‘preliminary investigations’ and that she was back in ‘good spirits’ at Windsor Castle where she was now carrying out light duties.
This comes just days after the 95 year-old Head of State politely turned down a trophy from The Oldie of the Year Awards as she ‘believes you are as old as you feel’. And, there’s no denying that for a woman of her age it’s quite extraordinary the pace at which she still carries out her duties. At an age where the majority of people have been retired for 30 years, The Queen does not seem to be wanting to leave the scene.
Since the start of October, she has carried out over a dozen engagements. She attended the Opening of the Scottish Parliament and later on that week, she launched The Queen’s Baton Relay for the 2022 Birmingham Games. She also marked the centenary of the British Legion with a ceremony at Westminster Abbey, when we saw her using a walking stick for the first time in more than a decade. Most recently, she opened a new session of the Senedd in Cardiff.
Not to forget the daily state papers, meetings with ambassadors and the latest audience with the new Governor-General of New Zealand. At the PM’s request, she hosted the Global Investment Summit at Windsor Castle on Tuesday, just the night before she was due to travel to Northern Ireland to celebrate the country’s 100th anniversary.
Although this is truly remarkable and something to be grateful for, we are – once again – led to the question of whether we ask too much of our Queen and whether she should retire to enjoy her final years away from court.
It’s understood it’s Her Majesty’s will to keep carrying out her duty as she enjoys being out and about meeting dignitaries, world leaders, charities and people across the nation, especially after the past 18 months of restrictions. If she wanted to do less, it’s obvious that changes would be implemented and the public would accept that too. But, it’s increasingly clear that she will only slow down when she has to.
Stepping down would also mean breaking a promise The Queen made to the nation decades ago and if there’s one thing we’ve learnt from her reign, it is that duty comes before all, the crown comes first. The Queen will want to honour the pledge she made on her twenty-first birthday when she declared before the nation that her ‘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.’ A speech that has resonated with her 70-years-long reign ever since. With her role as Queen, there is also a religious aspect, one that she highly values. Upon her Coronation, she asked for God’s help to best do her life-long duty. The Coronation – a holy event – forges the bond between the monarch and God. Stepping down would mean breaking that link and her devotion to it and she’s clearly not willing to do so.
Obviously, all eyes will now be fixed on her in the coming days and months. She is expected to attend the most important event in her diary, the COP26 summit, in about 10 days. The Queen, accompanied by senior members of the Royal Family, will travel to Glasgow to meet world leaders who will hold discussions about climate commitments, following the Paris Agreement in 2015.
On the horizon is also 2022, a remarkable year for Britain and the institution of Monarchy as The Queen will celebrate her Platinum Jubilee, marking 70 years on the throne. The first monarch in British history to celebrate such a milestone.
So, it’s not surprising that her doctors are taking ‘precautionary’ measures and have asked her to rest as they want to ensure she is in the best shape for what will be a quite enduring alignment of upcoming events.
As much as we would want our Queen to take a break, she remains as committed and determined to continue performing her role as ever before.
