At a recent committee meeting of our local football club where I serve as chaplain, just as I was about to leave, the Chairman asked me if I could share a tribute to Queen Elizabeth II before I left. Like a rabbit caught in the headlights, I stared at him blankly for a few moments before I managed to muddle my way through some comments! Since then, and as the nation mourns her passing, I have asked myself the question: what made this queen so special? Why do many of us feel her loss so acutely? I believe there were many aspects of Queen Elizabeth II that endeared her to so many people, but I thought I would share just a couple that have come to my mind.
She was a Constant in a Changing World
I ask the committee if anyone was old enough to remember King George VI, but none were (or at least none of them would admit to it). Queen Elizabeth II had been queen since 1952. She inherited the throne at 25, was married with two young children, and she would reign for the next seven decades. The world went through some incredible changes during that time; the ‘swinging sixties’; man landing on the moon; the Troubles in the seventies and eighties; the end of the Cold War; she saw 15 UK Prime Ministers take up office; she oversaw all British colonies in Africa becoming independent; the formation and growth of the internet… There have been too many hugely historical events to count (both locally and globally)!
Yet she was there. Hosting world leaders at home. Strengthening the Commonwealth abroad. Never really changing much, just slowly aging. Yes, the hats and coats changed in style and colour, but that was pretty much it – she knew what suited her! And with the Duke of Edinburgh always by her side, uttering politically incorrect soundbites. Her Christmas Day broadcast has been part of Christmas Day celebrations for many homes every year. A common tradition throughout the country: you finish your dinner, then everyone sits down to hear the Queen!
In a world that has constantly changed and developed, the queen didn’t. Her calm presence and solid character was like a rock – fixed and unflinching. She showed us that familiarity doesn’t always breed contempt; it can also breed respect.
Seeing something familiar reassures us; it’s like the feeling of arriving home after a long time away, or seeing a family member after a time apart. We sometimes need those things and people that are familiar, as they can help anchor us when times are turbulent.
She was known for her Charity Work and Compassion
Queen Elizabeth II was known to be a compassionate person. She was the patron of more than 600 organisations and charities, raising their profile and much-needed funds. She believed that by working together, people could achieve more, and not just at a community level either. She was believed in the power and strength of the Commonwealth, doing all that she could to encourage and promote it.
As early as 1956 she was becoming known for her compassionate outlook when she used her Christmas Broadcast of 1956 to call upon the British people to respond to conflicts around the world and welcome people to our shores;
We call them “refugees”. Let us give them true refuge. Let us see that for them and their children there is room at the inn.
Christmas Broadcast 1956
She wanted Britain to show love to those from other places and backgrounds, knowing that there was blessing in being a blessing. She would often reference the story of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37) in her speeches, highlighting the need for mankind to show love and care for one another.
Her love and compassion were not just for the foreigner either; she had a deep love for all of her citizens. Her care, love and respect for the British people was highlighted for me at the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral in 2021. She sat alone and masked at her own husband’s funeral, empathising with thousands of other people who endured the same heartache in those circumstances. She knew what had been asked of us, and instead of choosing to make use of her royal privilege, she instead chose to identify with us, her citizens. What a challenge to those who we actually elected to rule over us, and who ignored the rules!
For me, the life of Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, whose birth we celebrate today, is an inspiration and an anchor in my life. A role-model of reconciliation and forgiveness, he stretched out his hands in love, acceptance and healing. Christ’s example has taught me to seek to respect and value all people of whatever faith or none.
Christmas Broadcast 2014
She was defined by her Christian Faith
I believe that these characteristics, along with her other attributes, all flowed from something that was fundamental to her, and that was her Christian faith. In 2014 she described it an, “an anchor in my life”, and it had been securely in place for a long time.
Speaking in her Christmas Broadcast in 1952, she asked people to remember her upcoming Coronation which was to take place the following year;
I want to ask you all, whatever your religion may be, to pray for me on that day – to pray that God may give me wisdom and strength to carry out the solemn promises I shall be making, and that I may faithfully serve Him and you, all the days of my life.
Christmas Broadcast 1952
From the very outset of her reign, she recognised that it was God who appoints kings and who is a source of wisdom (Daniel 2:21). I read this week that at her coronation, there was a moment kept away from the cameras, when she removed her crown, the jewels, and all the splendour, and sat in a simple white dress and anointed by the Archbishop of Canterbury (BBC News). She recognised that her position had been God-given, and only God could help her as she sought to fulfil this role.
I don’t know much about the Queen’s life, but I know a little, and it certainly hasn’t always been plain sailing. As a wife, a mother of 4 children, a grandmother and the head of a centuries old empire, there have been more than a few ups and downs, controversies and heartaches, and yet her faith sustained her through it all. In 2002 she said,
I know just how much I rely on my own faith to guide me through the good times and the bad. Each day is a new beginning, I know that the only way to live my life is to try to do what is right, to take the long view, to give of my best in all that the day brings, and to put my trust in God. Like others of you who draw inspiration from your own faith, I draw strength from the message of hope in the Christian gospel.
Christmas Broadcast 2002
Queen Elizabeth II was a tremendous public servant, spending her lifetime seeking the welfare and good of all people. Her faith in God was not only deeply personal, but it was the lens through which she understood and responded to life, and the driving force behind her actions. She faithfully carried out her responsibilities and served the citizens of Great Britain wholeheartedly.
May our memory of her be a challenge and an encouragement to us all.
David J Wilson 