The Modern Monarch

The Modern Monarch

I still remember the kind of exhilaration I experienced when I saw an 86 year old woman descending from a parachute to declare the “London Olympics 2012 open”. No body else could ever think of performing such a feat at that age on the world stage. But truly that Royal humour was the most memorable event of the biggest sports fest. As conventional wisdom dictates, as people grow they tend to become more conservative. But in fact, this saying is not applicable for the Modern Monarch. This is greatest attribute of the Queen Elizabeth II born as Princess Elizabeth Alexandra Mary. She created an impregnable impression that people started believing that perhaps monarchy is a feminine institution, which was indeed a male bastion. She was the last of the head of state who donned a uniform during World War II.

The book “Our Queen by Robert Hardman” elaborates the life and the greatest contributions made by the Queen in the world history. It deals with several crucial issues wherein the audacity and instinctive judgements of the Queen had made a lot of difference and brought a new change in people’s lives.

When we look at the political system in our country, it is always in a precarious situation. We have consciously chosen democratic form of government to elect leaders of our choice to power. Unfortunately in our current system we never had a single leader  who could win the confidence of people for longer time. This is in sharp contrast with reign of the Queen Elizabeth who celebrated Diamond Jubilee in 2012. I am just awed by the fact that how is it possible for an individual to reign in people’s heart for such a long time. Her reign is second largest after Queen Victoria who ruled for 63 years. But Queen Victoria was largely hated by people. Queen Elizabeth as a grand daughter of the monarch was never expected to ascend the throne. She was initially Princess of York went on to become to the Queen of United Kingdom and Northern Province of Ireland after coronation was regarded as after Grand Mother of the nation after Golden Jubilee is now acclaimed as  National Treasure. The transition has never been so easy. But the persistent efforts, sacrifice and the determination to do good for the people has changed it all.

We tend to believe that life of Kings, Monarchs or the higher echelon of the society is pleasant and gratified. But life is always solitary at the top. They have to fight it all alone. With great power comes great responsibility and greater are the expectations of the people. Reading this biography is like a journey through all the milestone events in the history of the world. There is hardly any part of World which hasn’t been influenced by the majesty. She had played a great role in world affairs, consequentially bringing changes in the fortunes of several countries. Her role as the Queen of United Kingdom is invincible. She has been instrumental in conveying the British policies to the World. She has thus made a tremendous contribution to her nation . She is  the head of fifty- forty Common Wealth of Nations. She is constitutional head of 16 Sovereign Nations. Her reign spans 12 US presidents, 12 British Prime Ministers and 6 popes.

Through her illustrious life, she had been through several highs and lows. Like many other leaders world over, there has been several assassination attempts on her. But that never deterred her to deliver her duties. Though security around her has been tightened she would never allow any guard to be seen around in public. She believed that “there are people in happiness business”. She refused to lose her temper even under extreme duress. She has been through times of personal sorrow. She waded through the mud's of gossip and criticism during death of Princess Diana, her daughter-in-law. For all her inherent conservatism she has changed and steered the monarchy through more transition than anyone else in modern times. Initial 20 years of her reign she has shunned the media and never allowed any kind of publicity. But soon she realised the importance of staying connected with people. For she believed “seeing is believing”. Soon she had her own active press office. She represents not the arguments that divide the government role but a force that unites people. She proved that power of monarchy lies not in the power it endows the Sovereign but the power that is denied to anyone else. She had the genuine majesty, leadership and humility and balance between spectacular pageantry and common sense. It is unbelievable how she could keep a pace with the interests and faith of her people in this ever changing world. Though the world continues to change her central figure remained resolutely same. She strongly believes in her faith and delivers her duties with utmost sincerity. She is aware of the state of affairs around the world. But very little is known about her inner feelings. She never airs her views in any public forum. 

The wife of King becomes Queen but the husband of Queen is not King? Why this indifference????? Isn’t is too puzzling…… All of us are aware, behind every successful man there is a woman. But is vice-versa true? This question very often lurks in my mind. After seeing so much of suffering and subjugation of woman. Sometimes I find it really hard to believe if such tribe of supportive husbands do exist. Behind this successful woman is the Man Prince Philips/ Duke of Edinburgh. She openly acknowledged, the secret and strength behind her successful life has been her husband. I was in awe when I read more about him. His life is based on just two principles one being busy and other to support the Queen. He allayed fears of most of her courtiers during the initial years of accession to throne by staying at arm’s length. He received lot of snub and was treated outsider but he simply laughed it off. He clearly knows when to stand back and when to make well judged intervention. He refrained from making any political commitments and started performing roles in support of monarch. He resolved issues which don’t have political or constitutional dimensions but which have been of great sensitivity to Queen. He has been instrumental in changing the financial affairs of the Queen’s household and brought some order and restraint. He is the royal innovator and catalyst. He had a great role in reforming the naturally shy and reserved woman to lead life with confidence and style for so long.

This book has provided an opportunity to understand and appreciate the duties and the responsibilities of a dutiful monarch and how successful a woman could make a indelible mark in the men's domain. Here is an exquisite example of a Royal lineage. Queen Elizabeth II redefined monarchy as an institution trying to reach to cross-section of people making them feel completely engaged and cared. It is a massive institution and just like our existing governance different agencies coordinate, cooperate and culminate their efforts to deliver their best. It is a team effort and not a solo performance. The taste of grandeur, power coupled with authority of monarchy can be better understood by studying her life style.