Queen Elizabeth.Photo: Chris Jackson/Getty
Queen Elizabeth’s 70-year reign has seen her travel to over 100 countries, own more than 30 corgis and shake hands with 14 U.S. Presidents and counting. Yet there’s one thing the 96-year-old British monarch has never done: complain.
“The very lack of personal drama has arguably been the secret of Elizabeth II’s success,” explains Tracy Borman, author ofCrown & Sceptre: A New History of the British Monarchy.
“According to Proverbs: ‘The heart of Kings is unknowable’. This is particularly true of Elizabeth II, who throughout her long reign has played her cards very close to her chest,” she continues.
Queen Elizabeth.Jonathan Brady/AP/Shutterstock
“It is no small irony that in this age of mass communication, we have fewer of the Queen’s personal opinions and feelings on record than those of her predecessors. We know that she likes horseracing and corgis, spends her summers and Balmoral and her Christmases at Sandringham. But her spoken words are almost entirely the work of others.”
The Queen’s tight-lipped approach to public life descends from the unofficial royal motto of “never complain, never explain.”
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry attending the Service of Thanksgiving for the Queen’s Jubilee on June 3.Samir Hussein/WireImage
Prince WilliamandPrince Charleshave also gradually loosened the “never explain” element in their own ways too – most notably in the aftermath of William andKate Middleton’s controversial tour ofthe Caribbeanearlier this year.
Yet the “never complain” element remains fixed as a guiding principle of the Queen’s reign, regardless of the wider events surrounding her family and the “ongoingmobility issues” that have restricted her recentpublic appearances.
Trooping the Colour.Chris Jackson/Getty
“That stoicism really contrasts with people like Harry and Meghan,” explains Professor Pauline Maclaran from the Royal Holloway University of London.
“That is one of the reasons she is so admired. It is incredible that a 96-year-old is still going out and doing engagements, even though we know she is in great pain a lot of the time.
“She’s still coming out to put a smile and wear her outfits and reassure everybody. It’s quite extraordinary really,” continues, Maclaran.
“She really is carrying the motto of ‘never complain’ to extremes. You have to admire her, whether you’re a royalist or not.”
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Queen Elizabeth and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.STEVE PARSONS/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
When she opened Parliament in 2017, the Queen also wore a blue hatdecorated with yellow flowers, to mimic the flag of the European Union and send a message of her support for the political grouping in the wake of the UK’s decision to leave.
“You don’t hear her expressing extreme delight or extreme upset,” says Maclaran. “She makes sure that she doesn’t give too much of herself away.
“That has been a very good strategy because it’s meant that people can read whatever they want into her behaviors and kind of identify with her.”
source: people.com
