Today marks 70 years since Elizabeth II returned from Kenya as Queen. For her, the anniversary must be tinged with sorrow, since it marks her father’s death too.
But for the country, this is an opportunity to give thanks to the monarch for her extraordinary service over seven decades.
We are very lucky still to have her, and miraculously, she seems, at 95, to have the same indomitable spirit as she did when she came to the throne as a young woman.
The most heartening aspect of her Accession Day message yesterday was that she still intends to devote herself to the nation — though when she first made the promise on her 21st birthday that her life “whether it be short or long shall be devoted to your service”, she can have had no idea just how long it would be.
She has said that she wants to “get out among her people” this year, and it is to be hoped that she does so in London as well as in far-flung parts of the country.
As Peter York points out on this page, the grand royal events happen in the capital, and with them, the pomp and pageantry most of us very much enjoy. Ordinary Londoners will also be looking forward to meeting her during the celebrations.
During the pandemic, she shared — in her own way — the experience of the country and did her best to raise morale. Now, post-pandemic, we can say thank you for a life of service.
