Seventy years ago, King Farouk of Egypt commented that “someday there will be only five kings, the King of England and the four in the deck of cards.” His comment reflected on hundreds of years of history and the entrenched British values of hierarchy and tradition. Britain’s four-day weekend Platinum Jubilee commemorating Queen Elizabeth’s seventy-year reign cast little doubt on the prediction despite the on-going challenges to Britain’s world stature and the scandals that have affected the Royal family.
I arranged a trip to Britain completely unaware that it coincided with the Jubilee. Although interested in British history, I’m not royalty struck. Without specific plans, I passively read the reports on the activities and observed crowds wearing and waving every conceivable item that can bear a Union Jack. As a foreigner, I felt some FOMO (fear of missing out) as the heralded events passed. The Queen may share that sentiment after also missing some of the events. Elizabeth is four months younger than my mother and I know the challenge of engaging a 96-year-old in festivities. Of course, my mother’s festivities don’t include a fly-by of jets streaming red, white and blue exhaust trails. The Queen did witness that.
So, darn the FOMO, on the final day of the Jubilee I traipsed to nearby Trafalgar Square to spend two hours among a crowd packed like Union Jacketed sardines witnessing the Queen’s Pageant. Elaborately uniformed military horseman led the parade followed by every possible form of drum corps and marching band. Cheers erupted as the kilted Royal Regiment of Scotland’s bagpipers played “Scotland the Brave.” Even a diehard Yank can’t hear that without a chill going down the spine. Following the military parade, a procession saluted the culture of Britain and the Commonwealth, highlighting ethnic diversity with a surprisingly lighthearted “cheekiness” worthy of a Disneyland Main Street parade. Afterward I had to admit that no nation competes with British national ceremonies.
Even a diehard Yank can’t hear that without a chill going down the spine.
The BBC’s round-up commentators pounded home the message that this was a day to feel proud to be British. One even claimed, “today, everyone envies the British.” Perhaps. But an American like myself can also feel a bit awkward because, like many, I believe the Royals to be mortals who also put on their pants (trousers here) one leg at a time, though perhaps with a bit more help available. That sensibility has historic roots. Thomas Jefferson waited only until the second sentence of our Declaration of Independence before proclaiming that all men are born equal. No sentiment could focus more skepticism on royalty than doubting the foundation of birth rights.
Although the nation celebrates, there is also the underlying sense that the years of the Queen’s reign have not been kind to Britain. They have witnessed the rollback of the colonial empire along with the waning of British cultural and political influence in the Commonwealth and elsewhere. Although still a center of world culture and finance, Britain seems increasingly turned inward, as witnessed by Brexit. The Queen and the monarchy seem less central to life in Britain, even as Britain becomes less central to the world at large.
Despite the erosion of British international stature and the predominance of egalitarian world views, the enormity of the crowd and its enthusiasm reflect the Queen’s personal popularity. On her 21st birthday, then Princess Elizabeth, in a radio address told the nation, “My whole life, whether it be long or short shall be devoted to your service.” The people believe the Queen has upheld her vow. Despite the challenges posed by the world and those created by her own family, she “carries on” in a very British manner that exemplifies the dignity and moral leadership required for a head of state and the titular head of the Church of England.
As the crowd cheered the troops and celebrated with the entertainers, I realized that a similar event in the U.S. would be difficult to imagine nowadays given the partisanship enveloping every aspect of public life. At the Jubilee celebration, Britons across a wide swath of the political spectrum, from every region and from diverse ethnicities, all gathered and peacefully celebrated what they share: a monarch who provides a venerable and valued national symbol that has endured for most people’s lifetimes. Traditions matter. Continuity matters. So, with those values in mind, I’ll raise a pint and drink to her Majesty. God save the Queen! And, God, while we’re discussing traditions, please don’t forget January 6th.
Daniel Stone is Regional Medical Director of Cedars-Sinai Valley Network and a practicing internist and geriatrician with Cedars Sinai Medical Group. The views expressed in this column do not necessarily reflect those of Cedars-Sinai.
