River Talk 3: Elizabeth The Long Reigning Queen

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What Should I Say About The Queen?

Before starting River Talk #3, I was not even sure if I were seriously going to choose Queen Elizabeth II as the main topic for this River Talk. I did. Now I have to think about what I should say about the Queen. Should I praise the Queen? Should I talk smack about the Queen? None of the above? A blend of both? Should be interesting to see where the course of the River will flow for Talk #3. So why the Queen again? I had a list of other topics in mind, but a week ago I had a discussion with relatives about what other ideas I could toss into the mix. Queen Elizabeth II and Platinum Jubilee were suggested to me. I dismissed it at first because I personally do not find the Queen to be that interesting of a topic. First smack point right there. Days later, I thought some more about it. I grew increasingly curious about what exactly Platinum Jubilee is. Is it a medal? A party? A song written specifically for the Queen? Not only did I become curious, I happen to already have a United Kingdom category in my River, since I have written topics pertained to them. There are only 2 write-ups in that category, so this is a good opportunity to throw a 3rd one into it.

What Is Platinum Jubilee?

Till this moment, I never knew what the word “Jubilee” meant. Upon reading the dictionary definition for it I have learned that a jubilee is the celebration of any of certain anniversaries, such as the twenty-fifth (silver jubilee ), fiftieth (golden jubilee ), or sixtieth or seventy-fifth (diamond jubilee ). I was not too off about it being a party and medal then. I do not know if they gave her a literal platinum medal during the celebration or not. However,  Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medals are a thing. The Province Of Alberta is awarding these medals to 7,000 Albertans throughout 2022 in recognition of significant contributions to the province. Alberta further mentions that it is a one-time program that will conclude on February 05, 2023, at the end of the Platinum Jubilee year. It seems that this has to do with Sunday, given that 2022 Jubilee was on the 6th of February.

Now Alberta made me curious about other provinces: are they doing this too? Saskatchewan and Nova Scotia have announced plans for Platinum Jubilee medals. New Brunswick and Manitoba are considering it, while Ontario, British Columbia and Québec have opted out. Québec opting out does not surprise me, but Ontario and British Columbia seems odd. Ontario is Canada’s most populous province by far, and is home to the nation’s capital. British Columbia’s name is clearly inspired from the United Kingdom’s alternate name Britain. Perhaps it is not in their interest because platinum medals of the Queen are uninteresting to these peoples. Who knows for sure.

Those feeling left out can treat themselves to a 2022 Silver Year Of The Tiger or Gold Maple Leaf Coin. What I would like to talk about next is her 70-year reign.

70 Years

70 years. Wow! 70 years of commitment to service is an extremely long time to commit something. I have always wondered why, though? Why would someone want to commit the rest of their life to such a huge role? I have tried searching “Why Is The Queen So Committed?” but have yielded a variety of media posts. I did find one thing though: Her Twitter. Yes, the Queen Tweets. Seeing as though this is 2022, it is both comical and amusing how everyone and everything has social media. Even animals have social media accounts. Can you imagine if ancient Kings and Queens had Twitter? Queen Hatshepsut? King Solomon? Julius Caesar? That could be a topic entirely on its own. What did I find on the Royal Family’s Twitter? “I declare before you all that my whole life whether it be long or short shall be devoted to your service” But why? From The Royal United Kingdom website it says that the Queen sees public and voluntary service as one of the most important elements of her work. She has links – as Royal Patron or President – with over 600 charities, military associations, professional bodies and public service organisations. These vary from well-established international charities to smaller bodies working in a specialist area or on a local basis only.

We can safely assume that she loves to serve and has a life-and-soul dedication to being involved in the community. It also helps having longevity in your genes and having access to the best care possible. Elizabeth II has been on the throne since February 06, 1952, making her the second longest monarch in the world. Who still has her beat? French King Louis XIV. He served as monarch for more than 72 years after taking the throne at age four and dying in 1715. I had to double-check the 4-year-old part. I know ancient Judah had Kings that reigned from the tender age of 7, but 4? Certainly would not happen in modern times. With Elizabeth II being 96 years old, there is a chance that she could beat him, and become not just the longest reigning monarch in Britain, but the longest reigning monarch ever! For some reason, I have a strong, unknown feeling that history will not see such a long-reigning monarch again. So this naturally leads to the next point: The future of the Monarch.

The Future Of The Monarch

Queen Elizabeth’s appearances throughout many places in the United Kingdom and the world over her lifetime has brought much admiration to her. However, her days are numbered. In 2022, she could not even attend certain events due to health issues that flared up. One that has been revealed was episodic mobility issues. Not surprising given how old her skeleton is. Who will take her place next? Prince Charles? Prince William? Some people — or should I correctly say, a lot of people think the monarchy should be abolished altogether. If you ask me, I am indifferent to whether they want to abolish it or not. If they do decide to keep it going, which they almost certainly will, I believe that Prince Charles should pass the torch to Prince William. Charles is 73. William is 39-turning-40 real soon at the time of this writing. With William being far younger, he can reign for far longer continuously, while modernising the monarchy.

The Royals have been buffeted by allegations of racism and bullying, a sex scandal involving Prince Andrew, demands that they apologize for Britain’s historic role in the enslavement of millions of Africans, the departure of the Sussexes, and bribery involving a charity with Prince Charles and how a Saudi demanded British citizenship if the Saudi gave him much money. The Royals are aware that they have a lot of work to do. Both Charles and William have already been taking on a lot of changes, and plan to make some changes for the better. How good they will perform has yet to be seen. I do hope that whoever is in charge will make the changes that need to be made.

Remove The Queen From Us

At this time, there are now 6 Caribbean countries that intend to remove the Monarch as their sovereign. If this sounds familiar, it is because Barbados has removed the Queen as its head of state to become the Caribbean’s newest republic back in November 2021. Why? Why is there such a strong urge to pluck the Queen out of the Caribbean? These countries want the ability to elect their own head of state, independent of an external body, to oversee domestic and foreign affairs. They want to formally and symbolically unlink themselves from the former empire that enslaved, brutalized, and profited off their ancestors. The massive protests that took place in the United States over Anti-Black racism back in 2020 have further fueled the desire to do so. Some have called this the “The Awakening Of Black Consciousness”.

What do I think of this? While I personally have no hard feelings towards the Queen, I can totally understand why countries whose populations are predominantly Black, Indigenous or South Asian would want to rid themselves of an institution who they feel is not benefitting them. So what about Canada? Should Canada abolish the Monarchy? A survey from Angus Reid Institute says that most Canadians have a positive view of Queen Elizabeth II, but believe that we should separate after she dies. Those that believe in the Monarchy strongly believe it has allowed Canada to be the stable, functional country it is, and that removing it will be a lengthy, complicated process. Lengthy and complicated? True. I personally do not think it will be as complicated as some people make it look, but it will absolutely be no 1-year-job-and-done sort of thing.

Final Words

We can agree that the Monarchy is not perfect. The United Kingdom undeniably has a long record of atrocities. At the same time, the royal family existing now is aware of this and has worked hard on a variety of issues. Whether or not Canada decides to get rid of the Monarchy, I am fine with either move. I would prefer for Canada to focus on inflation and stagnancy at this time. As for the Monarchy’s existence in Britain, if Britain insists on keeping it, keep it. As long as they continue to improve and work towards fixing social issues, and maintaining a good relationship with people, the institution will last as long as it can.