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The
Queen~
Visit
To
Canada
and
Beyond
by
Gene H. Hogberg
Queen Elizabeth Il's autumn visit to Canada once again highlights the
unique worldwide role played by Britain's monarchy.
E
LIZABETH
11 embarked
on her latest Canadian
visit-her 12t h as sov–
ereign- wh i le riding t h e
crest of popularity at home in
Britain.
Polls taken in the last few
years have confirmed that both
the monarchy and its most visi–
ble symbol, the Queen, enjoy
widespread favor and respect in
the eyes of the British public.
Queen Elizabeth
II,
observers
agree, has grown steadily in her
office since February 6, 1952. That
is the day she ascended the throne
u pon the death of her father,
George VI. At age 25 Elizabeth II
was the youngest monarch to
ascend the throne since Queen Vic–
toria and the same age as her great
16th century predecessor, Eliz–
abeth l.
Why Popularity High
At the time of her 30th anniversary
on the throne, the
Times
of London
(February 1, 1982) remarked that
"Elizabeth 11 has finally managed
to transcend the lower atmosphere
of mere reverence from her sub–
jects into tbe rarer air of genuine
affection."
2
The same
Times
profile of the
Queen also carried the observation
of Norman St. Jobo Stevas, a
Member of Parliament and noted
observer of the monarchy . H e
said:
"The monarchy has become our
only truly popular political institu–
tion at a time when the House of
Commons has declined in public
esteem and the [House of] Lords is
a matter of controversy. The mon–
archy is, in real sense, underpin–
ning tbe other two estates of the
realm."
This is of no small consequence
in a world that has seen sorne 30
monarchies vanish in half a cen–
tury.
The Right Balance
There is no doubt that Elizabeth II,
in her manner and decorum, has
enhanced the image of the British
Royal Family. The Queen has dis–
played unwavering standards of
decency and stability.
While becoming more visible
and accessible-her walkabouts
and quarterly garden parties have
increased her popularity- she has
not succumbed to the temptation
to become a popular j ust-plain–
folks type of monarch as in sorne
other constitutional democracies.
She has kept her dignity, or as
one authority on the Royal Family
phrased it, "She treads the right
line between accessibility and
mystique."
Paul Johnson, a sometime critic
of the monarchy, put it this way:
"She does not bow to id iotic waves
of public taste. She makes no
attempt to be 'with it' ....
If
we
must have a monarch, it is good to
have a queen who looks and
behaves like one."
Elizabeth 11 has learned to walk
the tightrope, said another observ–
er, "by instinctively judging not
how she personally would behave
but how an anointed queen should
act."
In bis best-selling book
Majesty,
author Robert Lacey analyzed the
Queen's overall approach to her
office. "Being royal in her eyes,"
wrote Mr. Lacey, "is nota question
of acting a role.
lt
is being a role."
As a result, the Queen binds British
people of all classes together.
Governments of different politi–
cal leanings come and go-Prime
Minister Margaret Thatcher is the
ninth Prime Minister to serve Eliz–
abeth II. The Queen, standing
above politics as bead of state, pro–
vides a sense of stability and conti–
nuity. But the monarchy is by no
The PLAIN TRUTH