what!rot!: God, save the Queen!

Hello, hello! I've discovered recently that my blog has been looked through not only by Russians, but by Americans and the British as well, so I'm really surprised and want to write in English sometimes ^^ And hello again, my name is Nadya or Umka how my friends call me. I'm a student of Saint-Petersburg State University, Japanese literature department. My hobby is to watch films and to take photographs, but in future I'd like to do a rock-climbing, to ride on a motocycle and to be apparently like Lara Croft, lol))) I'm really interested in different languages and cultures and wish to go around a world to see all possible fascinating picterasque places and exotic nations. I do love animals - especially pandas, polar bears, pengins and my cat Mishka ^^ Wish there'd be a peaceful life in the whole world!

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And as for the topic today I would like to write something about the British monarchy. As we know there was a huge celebration of Queen Elizabeth II' s anniversary from 2 to 5 of June. I have no TV and my Internet connection is rather slow, so I didn't watch any programms about the anniversary, but I think it was really fun and gorgerous! Queen Elizabeth II is an outstanding person, and I really admire her...

Elizabeth Alexandra Mary, or "Lilbet" to close family, was born in London in 1926. Like her parents, Elizabeth was heavily involved in the war effort, serving in the women's branch of the British Army, training as a driver and mechanic. She married her cousin Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and they have four children: Charles, Anne, Andrew and Edward. When her father died, Elizabeth was still young, but nevertheless became Queen of seven Commonwealth countries and the 40th monarch since William the Conqueror. Elizabeth celebrated her 60th year as Queen, second only to Queen Victoria as longest reigning British monarch.

Though the monarchy is the oldest institution of government in the United Kingdom, most of the powers exercised by the monarch have now been transferred to ministers. The Queen, however, has a range of important duties, such as summoning and dissolving Parliament and giving royal assent to legislation. The Queen formally appoints important office holders, including the prime minister, judges, diplomats, bishops, etc. She also grants peerages, knighthoods and other honors. If people have been wrongly convicted of crimes, she is involved in pardoning them. In international affairs, the Queen (as head of state) has the power to declare war and make peace, to conclude treaties and to take over or give up territory. The members of the royal family support the Queen in her public duties, nationally and internationally.

Speaking of a present situation with the British Monarchy, a huge polemic arises whether it is worth to preserve in a modern world where old institutions can be sooner or later outdated. It seems to be that almost all functions carried out by the Royal Family can also be performed by the prime minister, ministers of different kinds and celebrities, who really seek to make their valuable contribution to various funds, charity, etc. It seems to be that the Queen and her family now mostly play a role of a symbol of the country. Moreover, as a divine or spiritual status of the monarchs totally diminished, a public sees in members of the Royal family almost ordinary people, who must, for example, pay taxes like everyone else (as the Queen agreed to do from 1992). Also, it is possible for them to get negative publicity and be criticized on different issues. This is especially connected with personal problems of the family, which ruin their "moral authority" in the eyes of the citizens. King Edward left his thrown to be with Wallis Simpson, the twice-divorced American, then was an unfortunate marriage of Charles and Diana, her death in a car-crash with a lover, and a following disrespectful detachment of the Queen to the death of People’s Princess. Charles married Camilla, his lover for roughly 35 years and "the most hatred woman in the Great Britain" (actually that’s why the majority of the English people wants Charles’ son, William, to be the next king). And the latest scandal is connected with continuing rumors about Prince William’s wife Kate Middleton’s inability to produce children, though their Royal Wedding brought a huge popularity and new interest in the Royal family and the Monarchy in whole.

As we know the once when the Queen was really blamed by her people was the time when Princess Diana died in a car-crash in Paris. That was 1992, the year called by Elizabeth II "annus horribilis", meaning "horrible year". Diana appeared to be unloved and disrespectful by the royal family and that influenced on the British, because she was their favourite. After her death the world would never be the same again, and a painful for British men detachment of Her Majesty toward to Diana’s death raised a huge indignation and censure in the country. But the Queen used to hide her and her family’s personal views and emotions only because they are royalty. Of course, I think, Elizabeth II sorrowed in some way, but she couldn’t allow herself, being a queen, to show personal feelings and maybe some weakness. Pressured by the public opinion she eventually shared people’s sorrow, she actually made concessions, but it was a great deed for the queen in people’s sake and for the good of the monarchy. They wanted from her to become a simple human in one row with them and Elizabeth did this, hiding her maybe dislike for Diana, breaking traditions which the Queen believes in. That was obviously uneasy thing for Elizabeth II. And that was maybe one of the most important and great things she did during her ruling. Hard to imagine how some almost divine and untouchable monarch comes down to earth to simple people what they’ve demanded. Maybe, the royalty broke some rules of the own, broke the tradition and came out from their lightful gorgeousness, but in fact obtained much more in return. And as for the Queen Elizabeth II, she showed some weakness in that hard time and due to this she became closer and even greater to her people than ever before.

Queen Elizabeth II seems to be one of the living legends of our time. She is the Queen – a title that was given to her as a special mark for all her life. The title that holds a huge pack of responsibility and brings to simple people of her kingdom a feeling of reverence before her as something divine and powerful. Queen Elizabeth II became a queen after her father, George VI, died and she was still too young to rule the country, but nevertheless by now she has become the longest-lived and second-longest-reigning monarch of the United Kingdom. And though she has no real power, her reigning seems to be quiet successful. Let’s imagine how hard it must be to be a queen in our time and what is actually a queen. To be a member of a royal family is to be a special person, a symbol of the whole country and the person that people may rely on in difficult times of the country. But not to be just a symbol like a popstar – a queen must hold all her royal gorgeousness and wisdom given to her by legendary predecessors and moreover to be unique and self-sufficient person herself to rule the country in peace and greatness. To be a queen is not only to keep traditions – it is to work hard through all life and act right in any circumstances that may happen. Can anyone else cope with this forgetting that he or she is a human made of flash and blood and has his/her own passions and weaknesses? This is a real hardship and returning back to the personality of Queen Elizabeth II, to my thought, she is just a perfect queen for her country. Of course, we don’t know what happens inside of a royal family between its members personally and what is for their opinion and traditions to be a monarch, but I still believe that Queen Elizabeth is really great as a person as well as a monarch – in all greatness of this word "great".

God, save the Queen!