Our Faithful Queen

CuriositY
How does the Queen cope with the endless rounds of
official duties? Princess Beatrice said in 2017, ‘I find my
grandmother inspiring every day because her
overwhelming sense of duty is linked with an
overwhelming curiosity. Every day she's curious to
learn something new, to do something new…she goes
out into the community with a genuine curiosity as
to how she can be a force for good in the world.’
Although the Queen mixes easily with statesmen,
celebrities and dignitaries, and has been celebrated,
honoured and respected around the world for more
than 70 years, she has always appreciated the value and
contribution of ordinary citizens. At Christmas in 1954,
she sent a special message of encouragement to those
people whose names ‘will never be household words’:
May you be proud to remember – as I am myself –
how much depends on you … what you do is always
of real value and importance to your fellow men.
In 2020 she talked about the sacrifices made in the
Covid pandemic and compared the selfless duty of
so many with the sacrifices made by combatants in
the First World War. Reflecting on the tomb of the
Unknown Warrior in Westminster Abbey, she said:
The Unknown Warrior was not exceptional. That’s
the point. He represents millions like him who
throughout our history have put the lives of others
above their own, and will be doing so today. For
me, this is a source of enduring hope in difficult
and unpredictable times.
THE UNKNOWN
WARRIOR REPRESENTS
MILLIONS LIKE HIM
staBilitY
WHO HAVE PUT THE
In that year when
LIVES OF OTHERS
Covid-19 had forced
ABOVE THEIR OWN
so many people –
including the Queen
– into isolation, she promised her prayerful support:
Of course, for many, this time of year will be
tinged with sadness: some mourning the loss of
those dear to them, and others missing friends
and family members distanced for safety, when
all they’d really want for Christmas is a simple hug
or a squeeze of the hand. If you are among them,
you are not alone, and let me assure you of my
thoughts and prayers.
Her words and example brought comfort and
encouragement to many.
What has been the source of her stability and peace?
As she said at Christmas in 2002:
I know just how much I rely on my own faith to
guide me through the good times and the bad.
Each day is a new beginning, I know that the only
way to live my life is to try to do what is right, to
take the long view, to give of my best in all that
the day brings, and to put my trust in God. Like
others of you who draw inspiration from your own
faith, I draw strength from the message of hope
in the Christian gospel.
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