LONDON – Throwing a party for a 96-year-old woman who has been in the same job for 70 years may seem like the last storm. But you have to be careful ladies of royal family of britain: Never write them down too quickly.
The storms keep coming for Queen Elizabeth II. Her mother eventually lived to 101.
The Queen was dialing back in public appearance even before Buckingham Palace said Dealing with “Mobility Issues” Which has made life more difficult for the emperor.
Sir Paul McCartney and best-selling author Tina Browne reflect on Queen Elizabeth’s unprecedented reign in “Her Majesty the Queen: A Gail King Special”. The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, special airs Thursday, June 2 at 10 p.m. ET on CBS and streams Friday, June 3 on the CBS News app and Paramount+.
Therefore, it was left to his son and heir to the throne, Prince Charles, to act at the formal opening of Parliament recently. But to show who was still too much in charge, the Queen sent not only her son, but his crown, who sat right next to Charles.
The royal presence is maintained even when the most senior royal is not present.
“He’s Incredibly Reliable. You Can Set Your Clock By Him,” says Robert Hardman, author of “”Queen of Our Times: The Life of Elizabeth IItold CBS News.
“All the time, there are historical moments that we call jubilee, and they are one-of-a-kind moments for a national party,” Hardman said.
With the odd-sounding timing, these national parties come to the fore when the country could really use one.
Elizabeth’s marriage to Prince Philip in 1947 provided a welcome turn from the serious business of Britain’s post-war reconstruction. His coronation was the first to be televised in 1953, and it provided some royal shine at a time when it was quickly becoming clear that the days of the Empire were fading away forever.
When the Queen celebrated her first birth anniversary—her silver jubilee in 1977, after just 20 years on the throne—Hardman said, “Britain was almost bankrupt.”
“That was really — we needed to party then,” he said. “This time, obviously, we are coming out of a pandemic, we have family issues and now, you know, the Queen is in her 10th decade. So, it’s a totally different kind of party.”
Thanks to those “family issues,” this year’s jubilee will also look different. Remember those big pictures of the royal family on the balcony of Buckingham Palace – always the centerpiece of these occasions?
Forget about them. This time, it will only be joined by the so-called “working royals” on the balcony with the Queen.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry and Meghan have left their self-imposed exile in California to stay in Britain for this week’s celebrations, but they gave up their “working royal” status a few years ago.
Harry’s uncle Prince Andrew, Infamous She is also out of the picture for her association with child sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.
This year, it’s only Prince Charles and Camilla, Prince William, Kate and their childrenThe family of Prince Edward and Sophie, and a few others are still in the royal good books.
And of course, there is no Prince Philip. The Queen’s “strength and living” for 73 years died just a year earlier.
Absences are just a reminder of how much things have changed.
“The monarchy has evolved,” Hardman told CBS News. “I mean, you look at the court when she came to the throne, I mean, it was still Edwardian, if not Victorian – it was still, run by the burgeoning aristocracy. And I mean ‘You know, the decorations, the uniforms, the attitude hadn’t really changed in 100 years.”
Rani, however, hasn’t really changed all she has gone through. When she came to the throne, she vowed to perform the duty for the rest of her life. And it’s not over yet.
“I think she’s already hoping to break a record she hasn’t broken yet,” Hardman said, which comes in a few years when she beat Louis XIV of France for the all-time record. “
The French emperor held the throne for 72 years and 110 days, until his death in 1715 at the age of 76.
Leslie Priest / AP
She had her start as a boy king, Hardman said, while Elizabeth “was a 25-year-old mother of two.” So, you know, he had a little bit of catching up to do.”
But he is almost there.
“I remember attending her mother’s 100th birthday party. It was one hell of a party,” said the biographer. “I think it will be even bigger for him.”
Mark Phillips