- Title: BRITAIN-ROYALS/MONARCHY British queen poised for record after rallying monarchy
- Date: 26th August 2015
- Summary: LONDON, ENGLAND, UK (RECENT) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) FORMER COMMUNICATIONS SECRETARY TO THE QUEEN (1998-2000), SIMON LEWIS, SAYING: "The lesson of these last 20, 30 years has been for the institution always to be slightly ahead of where perhaps the British people are and also recognise that for the institution to continue to survive it needs to be in keeping with w
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- Story Text: Queen Elizabeth, who rallied support for the monarchy despite presiding over the most famous and closely watched family in the world, is set to soon become Britain's longest-reigning monarch.
She never expected to take the throne and only did so because her uncle abdicated, but on September 9 she will beat the record held by her great-great-grandmother, Queen Victoria, who reigned for more than 63 years.
The 89-year-old Elizabeth once said "it's a job for life", and unlike some European monarchs recently, and even a pope, she is not expected to abdicate.
"It's definitely time to salute her and note she been this amazing almost unchanging steadfast force in this country, you know, living over a very difficult time sometimes and still very much to the fore, which is great," said royal historian Hugo Vickers.
While the world and British society have changed dramatically during her reign, the queen has always appeared dependable and reassuring. Despite traumas in the 1990s, such as the death of Princess Diana, that seemed to threaten the monarchy's very existence, the queen has been able to lead the thousand-year-old institution into a new era of popularity.
Britain itself has become a more egalitarian society as old class divides were broken down and deference based on background ebbed away, something reflected in the monarchy itself.
At the start of her reign she was a glamorous figure who seemed to typify Britain's post-war resurgence, but by the 40th anniversary of her accession the royal family appeared to have become little more than celebrity fodder for the tabloids.
While her marriage to Philip, a Greek prince, has stayed solid, she described 1992 as an "annus horribilis" when three of her four children's relationships broke up, with scandalous details exhaustively reported in the papers.
Diana's death in a Paris car crash in 1997 was undoubtedly the darkest moment of her long reign, with the queen forced to return from Scotland to address the nation amid a general outpouring of grief and dismay.
"The death of the Princess of Wales was a most extraordinary period in British national life," said Lewis who was bought into the Palace in 1998 to help restore the public image of the monarchy.
"For about a week it seemed as though the institution had been rocked to its foundations. I came in a year after that and what was really interesting was that a year after that, actually what had happened was the Queen in particular and other members of the royal family had got back to doing what they do best which is getting out, representing the monarchy, meeting people," he said.
With a more professional and sophisticated media operation, the royal family's reputation has been restored from the dark days of the 1990s and even taken to new heights.
"The lesson of these last 20, 30 years has been for the institution always to be slightly ahead of where perhaps the British people are and also recognise that for the institution to continue to survive it needs to be in keeping with what people expect of an institution and I think a huge amount of credit for that must go to the Queen herself," said Lewis.
Commentators say that also reflects how the queen has provided stability in a time of great social upheaval and growing discontent with elected leaders, while giving Britons a sense of identity.
Elizabeth only became queen due to a quirk of history after her uncle Edward VIII abdicated because of his love for American divorcee Wallis Simpson and the crown passed to her father George VI when she was 10 years old.
She was just 25 when she became Queen Elizabeth II on Feb. 6, 1952 on the death of her father. At the time she was on tour in Kenya with her husband Prince Philip, who has been by her side throughout her reign.
"In a way I didn't have an apprenticeship. My father died much too young and so it was all a very sudden kind of taking on and making the best job you can," she said 40 years later.
She was crowned queen of Britain and other realms, including Australia and Canada, on June 2, 1953, in a televised ceremony in Westminster Abbey.
She became the 40th monarch in a royal line that goes back to William the Conqueror, who took the throne in 1066 after winning the Battle of Hastings.
While on the throne, she has seen 12 prime ministers, 10 U.S. presidents and six popes.
Her first prime minister, Winston Churchill served in Queen Victoria's army and was born in 1874. Current prime minister, David Cameron wasn't born until 1966 and the Queen first saw him as a small boy dressed as a rabbit in a school play her son Edward was appearing in.
"She has steered a steady course through very, very widely changing years. Prime ministers good and bad have come and gone but she is still there, but that's why we respect her so much," said Vickers.
"If you want an epithet for the Queen, Elizabeth the steadfast would be very good because always had a very clear vision of what her role is. Elizabeth the conciliator would also work very nicely actually because that's what she's done all through her reign," he summed up.
Although she is the world's oldest living monarch, Elizabeth is only the second-longest currently reigning, behind Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who is almost six years ahead of her.
The longest-reigning monarch of all time - King Sobhuza II of Swaziland - ruled for almost 83 years until his death in 1982, while King Louis XIV of France ruled for 72 years, the longest period for any major European country.
During her reign, she has made more than 250 overseas visits to well over 100 countries.
Millions turned out for spectacular celebrations to mark her 60th year on the throne in 2012 and the royal family is enjoying a resurgence in popularity.
"The thing that always strikes me about the monarchy is that actually we all see in the royal family our own families, the relationships, the way people develop, the way people grow and I think that sort of narrative, that story about a family also really appeals to people," said Lewis explaining the country's fascination with royals.
In keeping with Queen Elizabeth's usual discreet style, aides say she wants little fuss over the September 9 milestone.
She will be in Scotland, holidaying at her Balmoral Estate and will undertake an official engagement on the day itself with Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.
Buckingham Palace said the Queen would rather save the public celebrations for next April, when she turns 90 years old. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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