Here was the thing: Elizabeth II’s familiarity and constancy never amounted to intimacy. | By Jaqueline Maley JacquelineMaley queenelizabeth queenelizabethII
She had, said the Prime Minister, “an air of authority and reflectiveness astonishing in an infant”.He didn’t yet know it – no one did – but Churchill would end up being the first of the infant’s 15 British prime ministers and probably her favourite.Reuters
The crown was hers - and as she noted more recently, yes, crowns are heavy - so heavy you have to memorise your speeches because if you tip your head down to check notes while wearing one, you might break your neck.She hosted morning teas and state visits for elected politicians, but she was anointed by God, and she saw them all off, one after the other - from Harry Truman to Donald Trump, who broke royal etiquette by walking in front of his hostess while inspecting an honour guard.
She was the ultimate celebrity, but she met her celebrity with reserve and a hard wall of protective protocol.But so voiceless was she that she had to use handbag placement and brooch selection to signal her true thoughts.Because here was the thing: Elizabeth II’s familiarity and constancy never amounted to intimacy.She was hyper-visible, but we never knew her opinions, her thoughts or her emotions.
Then there was her grandson Prince Harry, who, like his father, married a woman who decided not to play by royal rules; who wanted to strike out on her own terms.The stiff upper lip of the Queen’s monarchy made way for the let’s-talk-it-all-out-ism of an Oprah Winfrey special, aired in 2021. Where Diana had accused The Firm of callousness, Meghan accused it of callousness and racism.
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