Tuesday, September 8, 2015

Hidden in plain sight, the monarch who doesn't bark

Queen Elizabeth is about to set a record (currently held by the Lou Gehrig of the British monarchy, Queen Victoria);
Queen Elizabeth II is set to become the longest reigning monarch in British history. On Wednesday, she beats the record set by her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria – 63 years and 7 months – more than a century ago. Only four other British kings and queens have reigned 50 years or more.
She was crowned in 1952 after her father George VI died. As a princess she lived through the Great Depression, the rise of Hitler and Stalin, The Blitz, and a special kind of economic irrationality;
When she married Prince Philip in 1947, Britain was still in the grips of post-World War II austerity – the couple’s wedding cake had to be made from ingredients sent as wedding presents from abroad.
That was thanks to the socialists who took power in the election of 1945, and maintained price controls and rationing. Nicely depicted in the movie 84 Charing Cross Road, btw. Typically, she didn't complain but muddled through. It's who she is;
Stephen Daldry, director of the royal-themed play “The Audience,” recently captured the queen’s paradox: “You know, she is the most invisible visible public woman in the world,” he said.
That's because she doesn't comment on politics. Liz is also, the first monarch from the country to have sent an email (1976) or a tweet (2014).

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