英女王登基60年：還原一個最真實的伊麗莎白女王

Her Majesty may have reigned for 60 years but she remains quite a shy person at heart. Yes, she’s learnt how to handle all manner of social situations, rise to the occasion, and meet the incredible demands of being a monarch in the modern age, thanks in part to the advice of her closest courtiers.

I’ve been very struck by just how happy the Queen looks these days. I think that’s down to the fact that the Royal Family has survived the travails of recent decades to emerge as strong as ever. Charles’s predicament following the death of Diana and the difficult years afterwards seems to have been resolved. What’s more, she’s still got the Duke of Edinburgh by her side, and her grandchildren William and Harry – have turned out to be everything she could wish for. In short, the future of the succession seems assured – and I think that’s a source of tremendous pride and satisfaction to her.

She can be very funny – a side of her which the public rarely gets to see. I think she’s all too aware that as a monarch she has to be serious and representative of the nation, but in private she can often display a real sense of fun and a lovely, spontaneous sense of humour.

The Queen is of course the head of the Church of England – but it’s sometimes forgotten that she’s also a woman of deep Christian faith. I once saw her holding a rather worn prayer book which I think is in itself telling – because it shows that this is a woman who doesn’t just pay lip service to God, but prays and is a true believer. She is of course a regular churchgoer, and I’m sure she has drawn great sustenance from her faith during difficult times in her reign.

The Queen has never been an extravagant person. She was 13 when World War II began, so her formative years were hugely shaped by growing up in the shadow of the conflict. The entire nation had to make sacrifices and while no one is suggesting the Royal Family had to slum it, Britain stood alone for a while against Germany, food was rationed and there was a real sense of make-do-and-mend. That’s something that has stayed with the Queen all her life, and I think that’s partly why she likes Kate, who’s not afraid to wear the same dress twice, and is so patently not in the ‘spend, spend, spend’ mould.

It’s rarely remarked upon, but the humility the Queen shows when she receives flowers from children says a lot to me about the hidden monarch. She must have been handed thousands of garlands by countless children – but judging by the way in which she accepts them, you’d be forgiven for thinking it’s the first time she’s been given flowers. The way she bends down to accept flowers from small children is tantamount to her saying that she regards them as her equals.

The Queen has laid a wreath at the Cenotaph on Remembrance Sunday on all but a handful years during her long reign – the only exceptions being when she was either pregnant or overseas on an official visit (1959, 1961, 1963, 1968, 1983 and 1999). This terribly moving annual ceremony means a huge amount to her, in large part because she lived through World War II, and saw how great a price we as a nation paid to preserve our freedom.

This isn’t something that’s ever much reported, but she’s very thoughtful for anyone she knows who has been bereaved or ill, performing little acts of kindness. For instance, she paid a private visit to Martin Charteris (above) – who served her for many years as her Assistant Private Secretary and then Private Secretary, and did so much for her as a young monarch – shortly before his death in 1999.

The Queen was terribly saddened to see the Royal Yacht Britannia pensioned off.She had a huge amount of affection for the ship because it was the only home that was ever specially created for her, in every sense of the word.It’s interesting to note that the Royal Yacht was furnished in a much more contemporary style than the palaces, with their George III antique tables.She also appreciated the freedom the yacht gave her to escape the prying eyes of the world and just be herself.

This is a woman who is known for her love of animals, and in particular her corgis.As monarch, from time to time she invites people to Windsor Castle, and I remember being there once when one of her corgis rolled over onto its back at her feet and there was a look of sheer unadulterated joy on her face.