Queen Elizabeth II is adding yet another achievement to her record-breaking reign, becoming the first British monarch to celebrate a Platinum Jubilee: this Sunday (6), she turns 70 as sovereign.
However, despite seven decades of unprecedented service, we won’t see the usual royal festivities on such a momentous day.
On the date, we know that the 95-year-old monarch will be at her home in Sandringham, England, respecting the anniversary of the death of her father, King George VI. As in previous years, no public engagement is planned on the day.
The most we can anticipate is the release of a new photograph or painting or even a message to remember the meaning of this specific milestone. Formal military salutes are scheduled for the following day (Monday) as is traditional.
This weekend’s significant moment highlights a familiar dilemma for the monarchy, which is to celebrate the sovereign’s unwavering commitment but acknowledge personal loss. After all, a monarch takes over when his predecessor dies (or abdicates). It is something for which the monarchical institution already has centuries of experience, but which remains as sensitive as ever.
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson summed up the situation this week, telling the House of Commons that “while it is a time of national celebration, it will be a day of mixed emotions for Her Majesty”, before expressing his gratitude for the “tireless service” of the monarch.
The last time Elizabeth saw her father, in 1952, she and Philip were leaving on a long tour of the Commonwealth countries.
The royal family headed to the airport to see the couple depart. The king came to the dance floor to greet his daughter. Days later, while the couple was in Kenya, she received devastating news: her father, who was only 56 years old, had died in his sleep due to a coronary thrombosis.
“It’s important to remember that when she came to the throne in 1952, it wasn’t a very enlightened time for working women,” said CNN historian and royal expert Kate Williams. “Many people thought that a woman would not be up to the job, despite the reign of Queen Victoria and all previous queens having been great monarchs.”
The historian added that she “really proved, time and time again, that a woman can do the work of a constitutional monarch as well, if not better than, a man.”
Over the weekend, the Queen will likely reflect on her father’s legacy and how his reign helped define her reign.
Like her, her father, Albert Frederick Arthur George – or Bertie, as he was known to the family – was not born to be a monarch. The crown was the work of his older brother, who became King Edward VIII when their father died in 1936.
But that all changed when Bertie needed to take the throne in his brother’s place, as Edward abdicated in order to marry socialite Wallis Simpson. It’s a part of the real story we all know well, immortalized on screen in movies like “The King’s Speech” and “The Crown” series.
Inheriting a monarchy in crisis, Bertie opted for the royal name George VI in honor of his father and to establish continuity between their reigns. As historian Jane Ridley said in CNN’s original series “The Windsors: Inside the Royal Dynasty”, George’s challenge was “to restore the monarchy to a stability that existed before his brother took the crown”.
Despite supposedly never having aspired to the highest royal post, George VI held fast to the crown in times of scandal and war. After the news of the king’s death, US President Harry Truman said that George VI “shared until the end of his reign all the hardships and austerities that the evil days imposed on the courageous British people. In return, he received from the people across the Commonwealth a love and devotion that went beyond the ordinary relationship between a king and his subjects.”
The queen is known to have been quite close to her father — and his tireless work ethic and practice of putting duty before himself can be inherited from him.
During her historic reign, Elizabeth II appointed 14 prime ministers and met with 12 US presidents. The Queen has been a beacon of continuity through an incredible period of change, adapting and modernizing the royal institution in line with current times. Her greatest achievement is perhaps her ability to remain relevant and popular despite facing some of the most tumultuous years in modern royal history.
With no plans to retire even as her 96th birthday approaches, the Queen will attend a series of celebrations throughout the year, culminating in a four-day holiday in June when the nation can participate in Jubilee-themed festivities.
During the celebrations, the steadfast and revered head of the House of Windsor will want to put the family’s recent rifts and scandals aside.
The organizers “will have some cards up their sleeve, as the palace is aware, as well as the world, that this is a long-awaited moment, as no one has been able to celebrate in a long time. I hope there’s a big party. Covid-19 will be in the past and people will be able to celebrate however they want in open and closed areas,” said historian Williams.
Prince Charles will likely play a key role during the national festivities, as will Camilla, William and Kate. As the future of the monarchy, they will stand at the queen’s side, demonstrating the institution’s renewed strength.
And if all goes well, perhaps there will soon be another milestone, when the queen overtakes Louis 14 (who ruled France for 72 years) to become the longest-reigning monarch in world history.
See historic photos from Elizabeth II’s reign
The Duchess of Cambridge has become an official patron of English rugby, a role previously held by her brother-in-law, Prince Harry. On Wednesday, she assumed the post of representative for the Rugby Football League and the Rugby Football Union, both sponsored by the Queen.
The honorary titles were returned by Harry after he ceased being an active royal in early 2020. The move made Kate the first royal to officially receive one of the Dukes of Sussex’s former patronages.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have expressed concern about Spotify’s stance on Covid-19 misinformation on the streaming service. The criticism of the couple, who are involved in projects with the platform, comes after several artists asked for their works to be removed from Spotify.
A spokesperson for the couple’s Archewell Foundation said they began “expressing concerns to our partners about Spotify” in April last year and have followed suit ever since.
“We hope Spotify understands this moment and we are committed to continuing our work together,” the spokesperson added. The remarks followed protests by singers Neil Young and Joni Mitchell over Spotify’s handling of anti-vaccine misinformation coming from Joe Rogan, a popular podcaster in the United States. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced a multi-year partnership with Spotify in December 2020.
A huge crowd of royal fans filled the streets of London’s Chinatown on Tuesday (1), the date on which Prince Charles and Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, went to the place to celebrate the Lunar New Year (or Chinese New Year). ). The couple was greeted with a display of dancing lions and then walked around the blocks, visiting local shops and organizations. They also tried to make beautiful calligraphy after a demonstration by an expert, writing the Chinese symbol for “harmony”.
The Prince of Wales later joined a roundtable with members of the local community to discuss the growing hate crimes targeting Chinese and Asian-American communities in the midst of the pandemic. In a separate event, Charles sent a message to those celebrating the Lunar New Year, saying: “As we enter the Year of the Tiger, known for courageous action and a stand in the face of challenge and adventure, I hope the entire world will make this one. year of action”.
In the second week of February, the heir to the British throne will unveil a statue in Winchester, England’s former capital. The new effigy is of Licoricia, an important businesswoman in the city’s Jewish community in the 13th century. After the death of her second husband, David, she maintained her business and became a major financier to Henry III and his wife, Eleanor. Licoricia also used her great wealth to contribute to the construction of Westminster Abbey. Her life was tragically ended in 1277, when Licoricia was murdered under mysterious circumstances.
The new statue by renowned British sculptor Ian Rank-Broadley depicts the medieval celebrity holding his son’s hand. It will be installed on Jewry Street, where Licoricia is believed to have lived. The project hopes to educate people about Winchester’s royal medieval past and its little-known but all-important Jewish community, as well as promoting tolerance and diversity – something the medieval businesswoman seems to epitomize.
On June 5, 1946, a representative of the Italian royal family deposited the crown jewels at the Bank of Italy. The move came three days after Italians voted in a plebiscite to abolish the monarchy. The valuable pieces remain in the bank to this day. But now the family wants the jewels back. The grandson of Umberto II (Italy’s last king), Emanuele Filiberto of the House of Savoy, represented the family in a mediation session last week, according to the family’s lawyer, Sergio Orlandi.
Although bank representatives were present, officials from the prime minister’s office and the Ministry of Economy and Finance were not. In a statement sent to CNN last week, the prime minister’s press office said that the family’s request was “unfounded, given that it refers to goods that constitute the ‘endowment of the Crown of the Kingdom of Italy’ and not personal property. of the House of Savoy”
Source: CNN Brasil
I’m James Harper, a highly experienced and accomplished news writer for World Stock Market. I have been writing in the Politics section of the website for over five years, providing readers with up-to-date and insightful information about current events in politics. My work is widely read and respected by many industry professionals as well as laymen.
