Many books and articles have been written about Queen Elizabeth and many more are sure to follow. This is just a brief note of respect for someone who is possibly the last Christian monarch.

Princess Elizabeth was born on April 21, 1926 and never expected to be Queen. Like most people around her, she just thought she would live the life of a fairy tale princess – marry a handsome prince, live in a palace and enjoy an endless stream of leisure activities.

But fate had other plans. Due to unusual events of 1936 that unexpectedly put her father on the throne, followed by his untimely death, she became Queen of the vast British empire on February 6, 1952 at the age of 25.

To her great credit Queen Elizabeth fully accepted the calling and devoted herself, wholeheartedly, to duty and service to her realm. Her long reign exemplified the ideals of traditional values, Christian virtue and the high standards of dignity and grace associated with a good and true monarch.

When she was just 21, still not aware that she would shortly become the Queen, she gave a speech to the world and made this promise to her people:

“I declare before you all that my whole life whether it be long or short shall be devoted to your service and the service of our great imperial family to which we all belong.
But I shall not have strength to carry out this resolution alone unless you join in it with me, as I now invite you to do: I know that your support will be unfailingly given. God help me to make good my vow, and God bless all of you who are willing to share in it.”

Not only Queen of England, but through the years she was considered the head of state to some 32 different countries around the world. And though in the course of time and changing political spectrum many of these nations broke away from the empire and became approved, independent states, Elizabeth was still hailed as Queen by 15 countries passed away, peacefully, on September 8, 2022.

Seated on the throne for over 70 years, it is known that she was the longest reigning monarch in British history. But some calculate that Elizabeth was also the longest reigning FEMALE monarch in world history. Only King Louis XIV of France had a longer, continuous and verifiable reign at just over 72 years.

Despite all that time in power, there are no serious scandals or controversies connected with her personally or with her rule. She served her people diligently in the way her people wanted her to, with charm, devotion and elegance, all the time seeing herself as someone challenged to represent the embodiment of a Christian monarch, administering her duties with humility and grace.

In one of her televised Christmas messages to her people, she spoke of her faith and sense of responsibility to God:

“To many of us, our beliefs are of fundamental importance. For me the teachings of Christ and my own personal accountability before God provide a framework in which I try to lead my life. I, like so many of you, have drawn great comfort in difficult times from Christ’s words and example.”

These are not the sentiments of a master, but of a servant to her people.

Elizabeth was a gracious and noble Queen. And for many of us, she was the ONLY Queen we ever knew. I fear we will never see another monarch like her again.

Rest in well deserved peace, Your Majesty.