Prelude by 9jabook Reporter
More like the Queen of Thieves.England for all we know has been in the forefront of every manner of colonialism and their continous portrayal of their monarchy in these present times as purely ceremonial does not deny the obvious fact of precursory role their monarchy played in the enslavement of many African Nations.
Nothwitstanding We as a people have very poor memory and highly forgiving genetic disposition and wish the Queen "God save the Queen ! " on another annual remembrance of pomp and pageantry
Article@ and culled from TheWillNigeria
Queen of England, Elizabeth II, clocks another year in the month of April. In this write-up in her honour, TUNJI AJIBADE, a Consultant Writer, highlights the life and times of one of the world’s longest reigning monarchs.
"I declare before you all, that my whole life, whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service…God help me to make good my vow, and God bless all of you who are willing to share in it.".
That was Princess Elizabeth Alexandra Mary, addressing the people of the Commonwealth from Cape Town, South Africa, on her 21st birthday anniversary in 1946. Her reference to life, whether it be ‘long or short’ has turned out to be the former. She is one person on whom long life sits well like an apparel. At 84, on April 21, 2010, the former princess, now Queen Elizabeth II, is one of the world’s longest links with the past. She had spent 58 out of those years on the throne, surpassed so far by the 63 year record of the ‘grandmother of Europe’ and late Queen of England - Victoria.
Fate cleared the path for Princess Elizabeth to ascend the throne. She was born at 2.40 a.m on April 21, 1926, at 17 Bruton Street in Mayfair, London - the first child of The Duke and Duchess of York. In that spot, she was third in the line of succession to the throne; meaning she had little chance of ever ascending it – not with Edward (the then Prince of Wales, and her father, the then Duke of York) ahead of her in the queue. Elizabeth spent her early years at 145 Piccadilly, and at White Lodge in Richmond Park. Then in 1936, series of event rolled on one another to lift her up the ladder. Her grandfather, King George V, died. Edward, his eldest son arrived the throne with the name King Edward VIII; he left the throne before the end of the year after he had a sharp disagreement with the royal establishment. He wanted his freedom to marry American Mrs. Wallis Simpson, the woman after his heart, he said. That brought Elizabeth’s father, Duke of York, to the throne in 1937 as King George VI.
The Second World War did not pass without Elizabeth’s involvement. At 14, in 1940, she played the part of big sister when she made a live broadcast on BBC to all children around the world, especially those being evacuated to keep them safe from effects of the war. And she was an army commander too; she inspected her regiment at 16 in her capacity as the Colonel-In-Chief of Grenadier of Guards. In April 1943, she carried out her first solo public engagement, spending a day with a Grenadier Guards tank battalion in Southern Command. There was an increase in her official duties from that point. She was a Subaltern in the Auxiliary Territorial Service early in 1945, and by the end of the war, she had the rank of Junior Commander, having completed her course at No. 1 Mechanical Training Centre of the ATS, and passed out as a fully qualified driver. She married Prince Phillips in 1947.
The princess was in Sagana Lodge, about 100 miles north of Nairobi, a remote part of Kenya, when, on February 6, 1952, she received the news of her father’s death. Thus it happened that the next Queen of England got to hear of what fate destined her for in rural Africa. The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Geoffrey Fisher, conducted the coronation ceremony in Westminster Abbey on June 2, 1953. And the heavy rain of that day was a tell tale of what Queen Elizabeth II’s reign would be like for her people, and for the entire world. Prime Minister Winston Churchill and other important citizens from Commonwealth nations, as well as representatives of other countries attended the coronation. The Queen’s request that the ceremony be broadcast to the world was granted: Radio and television beamed it live, for the first time ever.
The Queen is Head of State in the United Kingdom and as a constitutional monarch, she only fulfils important ceremonial and formal roles with respect to Government. She is also Fount of Justice, Head of the Armed Forces and has important relationships with the established Churches of England and Scotland. The relevance of the Queen’s role in British and world affairs might be better understood and appreciated mostly by peoples who have or had lived under monarchies. Traditional leaders still have important role they play in, especially, Africa. Though most of them are not assigned any role in the constitution, their stabilizing role in communities is such that ethnic groups that did not have royalties in the past have since evolved something close to it. Many of these traditional leaders remain rallying point for their people among whom they still command enormous respect. Much of the time, their contributions do not appear so tangible, but it is there, made with quiet dignity, beyond ears, an approach befitting fathers of people.
It is no wonder that in nations such as Nigeria, a Commonwealth country, government does all it can to protect the institution of kingship or traditional leadership. In any case, as football analysts often point out, the mere presence of a player (without getting to touch the ball) on the path of an opponent may serve the purpose his team wants to achieve. There is no doubt that over the years, the stability of the monarchy under Queen Elizabeth II still serves as a focal point both in time of peace or otherwise in Britain. And there is the enormous goodwill the British royalty enjoys both at home and among world leaders, in whose nation, the Queen’s visit amounts to a national assignment to which both the big and the small want to be part of. In Nigeria today, there are elders who fondly recount their past lives with the phrase, ‘the year the Queen came’. One University graduate known to this writer would proudly mention at every opportunity that his father, a retired police officer, chauffeured the Queen when she spent 20 days in Nigerian in 1956.
In many more ways than is recognized, Her Majesty’s presence, visits, and public addresses have proved useful, and to the benefit of Britain and the world in general. Politicians in Britain come, and they go, sometimes in a matter of months, but the Queen has remained a symbol of stability over the years. Behind camera lenses, she meets with the Prime Minister at least a couple of times a month and gives invaluable advice. In her capacity as the Head of state, she receives important foreign office telegrams and a daily summary of events in Parliament. She hosts both British and foreign leaders and receives other important visitors from overseas. She is the head of the navy, army, and air force of Great Britain, and she is president or financial supporter of several organizations, many of them charities. She is regarded as Britain's true mother. One of the Queen’s biographers has pointed out that after the Silver Jubilee in 1977, when Her Majesty the Queen saw the loyalty and respect her subjects demonstrated, she realized her possibilities as a monarch. She had since then become more confident, more open, and more ready to reveal her sense of humor, strong common sense, great energy, and personal character.
The Queen has also been the Head of the Commonwealth, a voluntary association of 53 independent countries that used to be British colonies, for 58 years. Her presence is symbolic but it has unifying effect, and her visits to member countries reinforce the Commonwealth links around the world. She has visited every country in the Commonwealth, and has paid over 250 visits to countries around the world (nineteen of such visits were to Africa, with the exception of Cameroon, which joined the Commonwealth in 1995 and Rwanda that joined recently) since she came to the throne. She also holds regular meetings with Heads of Government from Commonwealth countries, and though not often publicized, her opinions on issues have proved invaluable to many heads of government. Apart from the Queen, other members of the royal family such as the Duke of Edinburgh, The Prince of Wales also visit the Commonwealth countries. The Queen keeps in touch with Commonwealth activities through regular contact with the Commonwealth Secretary-General and his Secretariat. She remains the Head of State of 15 Commonwealth realms in addition to the UK.
Regarded as a woman who took her coronation oath seriously, it is not surprising that the messages she delivered yearly on Commonwealth Days, as well as on some other occasions have always resonated what she promised in her 21st birthday anniversary speech. “There is a moto that has been borne by many of my ancestors,” she had said, “a noble moto: ‘I serve’. Those words were inspiration to many by-gone heirs to the throne when they made their knightly dedication as they came to manhood. I cannot do quite as they did, but through the inventions of science, I can do what was not possible for any of them.” And it is in this - her comments, visits or public addresses which help focus the activities of relevant stakeholders on the need for world peace, stability and development – that the benefits of her presence come in bolder relief, even though this is often overlooked in the midst of the noise from politicians and other policy makers.
In her message (March, 2010) on Commonwealth Day which had the theme: Science, Technology and Society, the Queen followed up on the promise she made so long ago when she stated that "today’s societies are constantly seeking ways to improve their quality of life and science and technology play a vital part in that search." She went further: “the Commonwealth recognizes that the best forms of innovation are those that unite and help build resilient partnerships and better societies as a whole.” Out of her concern for people, she said since more than half of the Commonwealth citizens are under 25 years of age, "it is vital that their potential to build on the exceptional scientific expertise that exists in member states is also fully supported through education and social development.” She therefore urged the commonwealth organization to continue to aid and encourage young people “to participate in the exciting new opportunities that lie ahead in the knowledge that progress is something which must be sustained and shared by all."
On the world stage, many things have taken place in the last 58 years since the Queen ascended the throne: Television arrived, man walked on the moon for the first time, the Berlin Wall was erected and it was brought down. And the world marches on, making use of new innovations, as the Queen said so long ago, to improve the lot of mankind. Her personal life too has been one long journey. She married former Lieutenant Mountbatten, now His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, who was the son of Prince Andrew of Greece and a great-great- grandson of Queen Victoria, on 20 November 1947. They have four children and eight grandchildren.
In the 1980s and 1990s, the love lives of their children were the subject of media attention. This wiped up some level of discontent with the monarchy, and it got to an all-time high on the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, in 1997. Since then however, public confidence as well as the Queen’s personal popularity has surged, and the monarchy is stronger than ever. As she marks her 84th birthday, the world wishes Queen Elizabeth II, longer life.
Ajibade wrote from Abuja.
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