RELIGION: Queen Elizabeth II

I remember when Princess Elizabeth of York was crowned as Queen Elizabeth II on June 2, 1953. Her full name is Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor. I was almost 7 years old, and I remember dad and mom talking about it. She was the first queen to reign over England since Queen Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria) died on January 22, 1901. Queen Victoria ruled for 63 years and 217 days, but Queen Elizabeth II ruled for 70 years and 215 days. She was the longest reigning English monarch.

The longest-reigning monarch in the world was King Louis XIV who ruled France for 72 years and 110 days. However, he was not quite 5 years old when he inherited the throne. His name was Louis Dieudonné, which means, Louis, Gift of God.

But let's get back to Queen Elizabeth II.

I don't remember dad or mom talking about her father, King George VI, so Queen Elizabeth II was the only monarch in the 1900s that I was aware of until I began studying world history in high school. Since I always considered England as "the Mother Country," I often thought highly of Queen Elizabeth. When she was a toddler, she called herself "Lilibet" because she couldn't pronounce her own name. Close family members thought it was cute and began calling her Lilibet. Elizabeth's cousin, Margaret Rhodes, described Lilibet as "a jolly little girl, but fundamentally sensible and well-behaved." During WWII, the 14-year-old princess, showing her calm and firm personality, told the people, "In the end, all will be well; for God will care for us and give us victory and peace."

She married her second cousin once removed -- Philip Mountbatten, Prince of Greece and Denmark. Prior to the marriage, he renounced his titles and left the Greek Orthodox church to join the Anglican church. After marriage, he became Prince Philip of England and lifelong counsel, husband and best friend to the Queen, who said, "Even in the hardest of times, he can make me laugh." During a speech at their 50th wedding anniversary, Elizabeth referred to Philip as "my strength and my stay." He died on April 9, 2021, at the age of 99.

At 25 years of age, Queen Elizabeth II became the monarch over the nations of the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Pakistan and Ceylon – now Sri Lanka. She also was the ceremonial head of the Commonwealth – 56 sovereign states, most of which had been British colonies or related to those colonies. However, there have been many political changes in the past 70 years.

Throughout the changes, Queen Elizabeth II became a world traveler, even fearlessly visiting heads of state who were targets for assassins. Harold Macmillan, 1st Earl of Stockton, wrote, "The Queen has been absolutely determined. She is impatient of the attitude towards her to treat her as a film star. She has indeed 'the heart and stomach of a man.' She loves her duty and means to be a Queen." I read that Elizabeth traveled at least 1,032,513 miles and visited 117 countries. Of the past 14 US presidents, only President Lyndon Johnson didn't meet the Queen.

The royal family had its share of scandals. In November of 1992 in a speech marking her 40th anniversary on the throne, she called 1992 her "annus horribilis" -- Latin for "horrible year." Nevertheless, she remained steadfast in her promise that she made in 1953: she devoted her life to helping her country in every way possible. Brian Mulroney, Canadian lawyer, businessman, and prime minister between 1984 and 1993, acknowledged her devotion to country, and to what was right. He said Elizabeth was a "behind the scenes force" in ending apartheid [in South Africa].

The Queen rarely gave interviews, and she normally kept her feelings to herself. But she did have a deep sense of Christian and public duty. Although she was the official head of the Church of England, she showed support for interfaith relations. In a Christmas broadcast in 2000, she said, "For me, the teachings of Christ and my own personal accountability before God provide a framework in which I try to lead my life. I, like so many of you, have drawn great comfort in difficult times from Christ's words and example."

Political leaders of other countries should take note of what she said.

England and the Commonwealth nations will miss Queen Elizabeth's steady hand in these turbulent times. I will miss her, too.

-- S. Eugene Linzey is an author, mentor, and speaker. Send comments and questions to [email protected]. Visit his web site at www.genelinzey.com. The opinions expressed are those of the author.