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<\/a>Anglophiles the world ’round are sad this week with the passing of Queen Elizabeth II<\/strong>.\u00a0 I have had an interest in her life since 1960, when as a naive 9-year-old, I saw the headline banner on the newspaper my dad was reading that screamed, “QUEEN IN LABOR”.\u00a0 My first thought was that the Queen of England had embarked on ditch digging<\/strong>.\u00a0 But even at that age I knew that couldn’t be right, so I asked my parents what “labor” meant. I still recall the uncomfortable look they gave each other, as if to say, “Are you<\/em> going to be the one to tell her?”\u00a0 In any event, that is my first memory of the queen.\u00a0 I subsequently studied English history in college and over the years I grew to appreciate the majesty that is the monarchy<\/strong>.\u00a0 I know that we fought a war to separate ourselves from it, and I wholeheartedly support our divorce from the motherland, but given today’s bitter political infighting I sometimes think it would be nice to have a non-politician above it all who could say, “Stop your childish bickering and get on with the job.”<\/p>\nNow we must forge ahead with the new King, Charles.<\/strong>\u00a0 As a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel owner, I echo the sentiments I read from another owner that it is going to be hard to hear the words “King Charles” without wanting to add the word “spaniel” at the end.\u00a0 Nevertheless, I am somewhat relieved at Charles’ accension.\u00a0 For the past nine years innumerable people have stopped me and said, “Oh, you have a Prince Charles Spaniel.<\/strong>”\u00a0 Perhaps now Dash the Wonder Dog will get his due respect.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By Suzanne Sparrow Watson Anglophiles the world ’round are sad this week with the passing of Queen Elizabeth II.\u00a0 I have had an interest in her life since 1960, when as a naive 9-year-old, I saw the headline banner on … read more![\"\"](\"https:\/\/fromabirdseyeview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/The-Queen-and-Nelson-Mandela-937173-300x178.jpg\")
<\/a>There is no better example of the benefits of a monarch than when Queen Elizabeth outfoxed Margaret Thatcher<\/strong> on the issue of apartheid. On several occasions during Thatcher’s tenure as Prime Minister, the Queen urged her take a strong stance against the apartheid laws in South Africa.\u00a0 Thatcher dragged her feet, suggesting that the “time wasn’t right”.\u00a0 For Thatcher, the time would never be right.<\/strong> By 1990, the Queen, frustrated with Thatcher’s inaction, took matters in hand by inviting Nelson Mandela, the foremost anti-apartheid leader, to the United Kingdom.\u00a0 At the time, that was groundbreaking.\u00a0 The apartheid laws were repealed the following year, in part due to the support exhibited by the Queen. Suddenly, everyone wanted to be seen with Mandela<\/strong>.\u00a0 Even Thatcher, never one to miss a photo op, had her picture taken shaking Mandela’s hand.\u00a0 Elizabeth and Mandela enjoyed a life-long friendship; he was the only person outside of the family that referred to her as “Elizabeth”.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/fromabirdseyeview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/king-charles-cropped-283x300.jpg\")
<\/a>I was very sad to learn of the Queen’s passing and I admit I shed a few tears.\u00a0 She was part of the “greatest generation” who exemplified duty, humility and serving others, <\/strong>combined with some increasingly rare common sense. Elizabeth always understood that being royal was not about celebrity or attention-seeking, but about doing her best for her fellow countrymen.\u00a0 In a time when slacking off has become fashionable, Elizabeth still stood by the virtues of hard work and commitment to one’s obligations.<\/strong> Not many 96-year-olds are still on the job, but the Queen stood by her promise to serve until her death.<\/p>\n