69 years on the Throne
69 years on the Throne
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A Glorious, and Yet a Sad Day It was a poignant day for her as the moment she became Queen was the very same moment that she lost her beloved father, George VI.
A new and youthful Queen in 1952 but today for all or for certainly most of the lives of all the people born in Australia, Elizabeth II, by the Grace of God Queen of Australia has been their sovereign head of state.
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In her Coronation oath taken the following year in June 1953, Her Majesty swore to govern the peoples of Australia separately as our Queen (of Australia). This is because, together with other realms, such as Canada and New Zealand, she is Queen individually of each country in accordance with their respective constitutions.
In Australia our monarchy is subject to the provisions of the Australian Constitution which means that we have a monarch represented by a Governor-General who acts as a trustee of the people’s constitutional rights. Neither the Queen nor the Governor-General administer the government. That is in the hands of the prime minister and parliament.
It is thus that the Queen represents democracy in its finest form, for, as our sovereign, Her Majesty has no bias and favours none but the people themselves. An ideal no politician, however well meaning, could possibly claim.
We should be proud that we have a monarchy which is over a thousand years old. The Queen’s line extends right back to Cerdic, the first Saxon king of Wessex circa 519 AD; but it is anything but archaic. It has evolved through many stages until forming a partnership with the parliament to produce the modern Westminster system.
History records that monarchs have been strong, weak, good, bad, indifferent and selfish. However, none have so submerged their personal lives so as to perform their duty to their people as our own Queen, Elizabeth II. This is why she has always been so highly respected and, at age 94, now even venerated.  Our Queen is the oldest person to sit on the throne and over her reign has been the hardest working monarch in history. She embodies the hopes and aspirations and wellbeing of her peoples. An example to us all and we should all pay tribute to such an exemplary and outstanding monarch.
As Winston Churchill said on the day of Her Majesty’s Coronation, on the 2nd of June 1953, “We love her as Queen, and we love her for herself”
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