Changing face of the monarchy during Queen's long reign

As this modern, fast, so often unfamiliar age engulfed us, as politicians and celebrities have come and gone, Queen Elizabeth II seemed to have survived them all, guarding with determined pride the Monarchy.

She was by some distance Britain’s longest reigning monarch.

It has been said that you should not confuse longevity with merit, but with Queen Elizabeth II the nation was blessed with a glorious, meritorious, and superlative long reign.

We already have an incomparable legacy bequeathed to the nation by this valiant Queen who had seen so much change during her tenancy. From that moment as a little girl when she realised with horror that since Daddy was going to be King, it was Buckingham Palace forever, Elizabeth gave herself and her life totally to what she saw as her duty. She was disciplined, principled and believed that beyond all else, loyalty and commitment came first. Amazing to think perhaps, with a busy life and a big family, but hers had often been a lonely role.

Three generations of the British Royal family – Queen Elizabeth II, her oldest son, the Prince of Wales, and his oldest son, Prince William – pose for a photograph on Monday, June 2, 2003, at Clarence House in London, before a dinner to mark the 50th anniversary of her Coronation

But she was the Queen and it was on her shoulders that fell the final responsibility. The buck stopped with her as boss of “The Firm,” standing four square alongside the responsibilities as well as the privileges that came with the position.

Elizabeth, the head of the Church of England, was naturally a devout Christian, and her faith had grown through her reign and proved a rock and stay in many of the changing scenes of her life.

She inherited the throne at such an early age and in a very different climate. She steered the institution deftly both during conflicts, and through sometimes turbulent peace. Along a long and rocky road in which there were plenty of opportunities for missteps, she almost invariably found the right path, a beacon of tact, wisdom and dignity.

Members of the Royal family join the Queen Mother on the balcony of Buckingham Palace on Friday, August 5, 2000, to celebrate her 100th birthday, They are, from left, Viscount Linley, his wife, Serena, Lady Sarah Chatto, her husband, Daniel, Zara Phillips, Tim Laurence, Princess Royal, Peter Phillips, Princess Beatrice, the Duke of York, Princess Eugenie, Pincess Maragaret, The Queen Mother, Queen Elizabeth ll, Earl of Wessex (partially hidden), the Duke of Edinburgh, the Countess of Wessex, Prince William, Prince Charles, Prince Harry, Princess Michael of Kent, Prince Michael of Kent, the Duchess of Kent (hidden), Duke of Kent (rear), Princess Alexandra, Sir Angus Ogilvy, the Duchess of Gloucester and the Duke of Gloucester .

In a world of celebrity and intense media interest and scrutiny, she gently opened a window into the world of the royal family, walking the tightrope of modernising an ancient institution which is founded on tradition and arcane conventions.

It was, we should not overlook, also a role which involved a measure of personal danger.

Apart from the ever present threat from terrorist groups, in New Zealand, a teenage misfit took a potshot at her – he missed.

And in 1981 as the Queen rode by during the Trooping of the Colour, another teenager, in his words “wanting to be somebody,” fired six blanks at her, startling her beloved horse Burmese.

She could not know the fusilade was harmless. Shaken and alarmed, after looking back to check others were all right, she continued her duties without missing a beat.

So to all her other qualities, we can add bravery.

The nation owes her an unpayable debt of gratitude for a long and glorious reign with the stamp of greatness.