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Christened in June 1926, Elizabeth Alexandra Mary, the firstborn of the Duke and Duchess of York, was but a baby, awaited and adored by her parents and grandparents. Raised in a Piccadilly townhouse, Elizabeth —nicknamed Lilibet by her grandfather, King George V— was blessed with a happy, out-of-the-spotlight childhood, which her father made sure of, steadfast in his decision not to allow his daughters to live the lonely, antiseptic childhood he once did.
At the time, no one could have imagined that Lilibet, that sensitive child with an inexhaustible passion for dogs and horses, would one day become the longest-serving monarch in the history of the United Kingdom.
Elizabeth was the only female leader to serve her country during World War II, in the Auxiliary Territorial Service, a female branch of the British Army. The man who would later become her husband, Philip Mountbatten, served during the war in the British Royal Navy, thus reviving the important military tradition within the royal family, continued by their children and grandchildren.
The abdication of her uncle in 1936 and the premature death of her father in 1952 conspired for Elizabeth, barely 25 years old, to ascend to the throne under the expectant gaze of a nation still suffering the ravages left by the end of the war.
Her reign was marked by profound social, technological and political changes throughout the English-speaking world, a world in which the United Kingdom no longer led the way. Still, its place was taken by its former American colony. Due to the loss of the most essential British overseas dominions before her accession to the throne, the country Elizabeth received was very different from the one of her father, her uncle, and even more so from that of her grandfather. It was a country that, although at peace, its dismemberment and vulnerability put it at a distinct disadvantage vis-à-vis the two post-war giants: the United States of America and the Soviet Union.
Few people would wish to receive such a country, even more so when it represented not just an item on their resume, but the legacy of their entire dynasty and the reputation of an increasingly rare and criticized form of government. However, like all the inconveniences in her life, Elizabeth faced them with dignity and resilience, virtues that made this nonagenarian an icon of modern stoicism.
A girl holds a British flag as many people gather outside Buckingham Palace to pay tribute to Queen Elizabeth II, last Saturday in London. (Image: EFE)
Elizabeth’s legacy was to demonstrate what it means to be a sovereign, a symbol of community and national pride, in an increasingly individualistic and globalist world. A monarch is not a statesman, a politician, a priest, or a celebrity. A monarch, true to the Freudian description of the superego, is a representation of all the moral and ethical principles of a society. A monarch reigns —not rules— over the collective imagination, inspiring and motivating his citizens to be better human beings -no small thing compared to what any democratically elected politician could achieve.
That is what makes Elizabeth’s job the most difficult in the world. A job that, in order to move the full breadth of her people, regardless of race, sex, religion, or political orientation, requires repressing one’s own character and temperament. All of us, in a moment of childish ambition, have wished to be kings. A desire that vanishes the moment we discover that the price of being a sovereign is paid by sacrificing all our personal aspirations, beliefs, and human instincts. That is why the monarchy, as a solemn institution, does not respond to the laws of men -like politicians-, but to the laws of God. For, after all, it is He whom we are trying to imitate.
King Charles III (l), Princess Anne (r), and Prince William (back), in the funeral procession with the remains of Elizabeth II carried in a gun carriage from Buckingham Palace to the Houses of Parliament at Westminster in London, Britain, Sept. 14, 2022. (Image: EFE)
A fundamental principle of stoicism is the acceptance of our lack of decision-making power over what happens around us, as opposed to the control we can exercise over our own minds. This principle was masterfully demonstrated by Elizabeth, who, knowing that her country had lost its control and influence over much of the globe, with her mettle, class, and willingness to serve, managed to ensure that the United Kingdom maintained its position as a respectable country in the international community, even in the eyes of Spanish-speaking and Catholic people, with no special allegiance to Britain.
She never let her advanced age be an impediment to the exercise of his duty. She was already over 80 years old when she had to deal with crises such as Brexit and mass immigration. Not for nothing, in that same broadcast from Cape Town, Elizabeth culminated her statement by promising, “all my life, however long or short, will be devoted to your service.”
The Queen worked until 48 hours before her death, welcoming the new Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Liz Truss. She died in her 96th year, giving literal meaning to all the proclamations that read “Long Live Queen Elizabeth”.
This article was written by Daniela Medina Ozal, a Venezuelan medical student interested in history, cultural revolution and evolutionary psychology.
