Her Majesty

A majestic picture... a moment in time, captured.

This portrait was taken when Queen Elizabeth returned to Buckingham Palace after her coronation ceremony. They say--truthfully---that she had a massive headache when she took off that crown. Wearing such a heavy crown takes practice and it's not particularly fun. (Not that I would know personally...but I have my sources

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This woman became Queen when she was a young wife and mother. She was in Africa with her husband Prince Philip---she had loved him from the time she was a young girl---and she got the terrible news that her father had died. Luckily, packed deep in her luggage was her black mourning clothes which were always packed, just in case. The night before his death, the King had followed his normal routine--he read in bed and had something hot to drink. In the morning, they summoned Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother and gave her the news of his passing. She was bereft. Oh, she put on her Queenly composure for her daughter and the world...but she was utterly shattered for quite some time.

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As the new Queen and her husband flew back to England, without doubt she was overwhelmed by memories of her father and mother and their family life. It is well known that the King and Queen adored their daughters, Elizabeth and Margaret Rose. Right before she married Prince Philip, the King told her in a letter that it would be the last time it would be "us four". It had always been "us four"---traveling, spending time at Royal Lodge in their garden, planning the garden, playing with their animals. The family spent cozy times together...times that I'm sure Her Majesty even now remembers with a sweet fondness. They were the ultimate, perfect royal family.

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I have a book which is rare, written by Marion Crawford. Marion was a trusted governess to the young Elizabeth and Margaret Rose. She was with them for many years in their youth. To their horror, she published a tell-all book. It was one of the first. It was quite devastating to the family...not that there is really anything shameful in it...nevertheless, they had trusted "Crawfie" and this was unexpected. From then on, whenever someone betrayed them, they'd say, "They're pulling a Crawfie." To them, "pulling a Crawfie" meant they were betrayed by someone trusted. There's no need to tell you what's in the book--since Her Majesty is alive and she might read this....well, she might...I just wouldn't dare breathe a word. She's a noble and classy woman and I respect her and I just can't in good conscience pass on secret, gossipy things about my Queen. Since I'm English, she is my Queen. As a matter of fact, the Queen's physician operated on my great grandmother Talbot in the late 1800's after a carriage accident. My great grandmother was blind after the carriage accident and could only see shadows. I think it was Queen Victoria's physician that attended to her. But she didn't feel sorry for herself...she raised 6 healthy children in the country. Her hearing was so good that the children couldn't even lift the lid off the cookie jar, no matter how hard they tried!!

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Back to the Queen, though. You aren't here to read about my grandfather trying to steal cookies...

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There's a picture called Three Queens, which was taken during the King's funeral. It's a picture of the new Queen, the Queen Mother and also the King's mother, Queen Mary. They are standing together, with black veils over their faces. It's rather chilling....sad.

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Luckily for Queen Elizabeth, her father spent much time with her, at his desk, going over the work of the sovereign...explaining what was expected and teaching her things. She loved and trusted him and learned from him. And I think he loved teaching her. They had a wonderful partnership of love and respect. Although the new Queen was probably not feeling quite ready to take on the heavy duties of the monarchy, her father undoubtedly had taught her well and I think she felt comfortable as she began her duties.

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Queen Elizabeth took much comfort from the rituals she was used to. There was Sandringham at Christmas and Balmoral in the summer. She spent many weekends at Windsor and the family has a set of apartments there. She still spends many weekends there and Prince Philip oversees the grounds. (no, he doesn't really do the work!) I'd love to be a fly on the wall there...or even a servant for that matter. I wouldn't mind polishing the furniture if it meant I could peek through some of the rooms...and maybe skip down the massive hallways and staircases. One day I'll get permission to visit the Royal Archives....I will! I have my mind and heart set on it. If I can get there, I'll produce something beautiful for sure. I don't want much in life...my family...a couple of bucks, a few books...and a long, long trip to the Royal Archives!

I do worry about the Queen these days. She's had a lot to cope with these past years, with the death of her sister Margaret and her beloved mother. The Queen, obviously, has only so many close people around her which she can really be herself with and I'm sure the loss of these two family members so close together has been very difficult. Still, she is surrounded by a large and loving family and like any matriarch, I'm sure she is adored and enjoys spoiling her grandchildren just a bit.

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She is still a vision---in her pastel suits and hats and her gowns and jewelry. She is always perfectly put together and rather elegant, if I do say so myself. As you probably know, she loves her privacy and her dogs. She loves riding and adores her horses and horse-racing.

If all Queens could be as Queenly as she---we'd have monarchies all over the world. Someday, the world will look back at her reign and she will be seen as a glittering gem, with a perfect countenance, wise... and I daresay she is quite loving and caring. She's got one of the hardest jobs in the world.

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She never really gets a vacation, you know!