It must have been at school that I somehow fell in love with England, the English language and culture, which Queen Elizabeth II is an integral part of. The world today seems to be a completely different place from what it was like then, but I hope that love, faith and humour – words that feature prominently in tributes paid to the Queen these days – will help us through these darker times.
I left the above message in a book of condolence at St Andrew’s Anglican Church in Moscow last Sunday. Before the service the chaplain told the congregation that in interviews they’d asked him about the Queen’s legacy. He said it was hard to think about the legacy of someone who’d always been there and compared it to trying to estimate the legacy of a mountain. A few scattered facts and figures have come into my mind over the last few days though.
Ninety-six years of earthly life, seventy years of reign and service, crowned with Platinum Jubilee celebrations in June 2022. Sixty-nine Christmas addresses, televised since 1957. Fifteen Prime Ministers, the last one, Liz Truss, appointed by Her Majesty at Balmoral Castle in Scotland only two days before her death last Thursday. All of the twenty-five James Bond films, No Time to Die the most recent one. All the greatest British rock bands and many world-famous fashion brands. England winning the football World Cup in 1966 and women’s European Championship in July 2022. Yuri Gagarin’s space flight in April 1961 and his visit to the UK that followed. Her Majesty’s visit to Moscow and St. Petersburg in October 1994, three years after the dissolution of the Soviet Union.
All of the above is part of Queen Elizabeth II’s reign, but other people could think of other things first. As the chaplain said, we will never be able to understand the full legacy of a constant that the Queen was – only God will.
What about you? What do you think of when you look back at Queen Elizabeth II’s seventy years on the throne?
PS Speaking about the recent tributes, I was particularly moved by the ones made by the archbishop of Canterbury and the Bishop of London, Theresa May and Boris Johnson, and also Prince William.
/Photo taken by me in Oxford during my first trip to the UK in July 2001/
