Not born to be queen

Of course, a history teacher is going to write about Queen Elizabeth II’s passing.

Even if you are not a monarchist, a fan of royalty history, or a Corgi lover (as was the Queen) the story of her ascension to the most enduring throne in the world is a once-in-a-lifetime story. She was never supposed to be the main character in Netflix’s “The Crown.”

What if her Uncle Edward had not fallen in love with an American divorcee?

What if she had perished in the Blitz, the eight-monthlong bombing by the German Luftwaffe?

What if her father had not died relatively young from lung cancer, when Elizabeth was only 25?

When Elizabeth was ten, her uncle King Edward VIII gave up his title because Parliament would not consent to his marriage to the twice-divorced American socialite Wallis Simpson. The next year Edward and Wallis married, visited Germany, and proclaimed that “Hitler was not a bad chap.” Would the outcome of WWII changed had Edward remained King and indeed been a Nazi sympathizer? Regardless, the stark contrast between his choices and what would become his niece’s trademark sense of duty reveal that fate intervened.

During the Blitz, which lasted from September 1940 to May 1941, cities and towns suffered nightly air raids. Millions of children were evacuated to rural areas, parents hoping that their sons and daughters would be safer in remote locations. However, Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret would remain. “The children won’t go without me,” said their mother. “I won’t leave without the King. And the King will never leave.”

Instead, the princesses were moved to Windsor Castle, which proved fortunate. On September 13, 1940, the Nazis bombed Buckingham Palace. Fate graced the accidental heir once again. Elizabeth went on to join the women’s branch of the British Army, making her the first woman of the royal family to be an active-duty member of the British Armed Forces. She was only 18.

These were compelling chapters in Elizabeth II’s rise to the monarchy, but her “crowning” achievement came in a treehouse in Kenya. Princess Elizabeth and her husband, Philip, were visiting on official business. On February 6, 1952, while she slept in a treehouse after a day of animal watching, her father, King George VI, passed away in England.

Elizabeth was now the Queen—and would be for the next 70 years.

Many argue the monarchy is outdated and should be abolished. What should never be abolished are the leadership qualities this remarkable woman exhibited.

“Resolute. Faithful. Intelligent. Funny. Curious. Spiritual. Committed. Involved. Selfless. Wise.” World leaders described the Queen with these words last week.

Through public family failures, Elizabeth II faced what many women, wives, mothers, sisters and grandmothers experience. During these difficult times, she had to walk the tightrope balancing love and duty.

Her earthly reign ends, but the world would do well not to bury her spirit. She gave us the example of faithful devotion to the best traits of leadership. God Save the Queen.

(BBC interviews and Britannica were used for some information provided in this column).

Snyder, Texas, native Sue Jane Sullivan is a retired schoolteacher whose thought-provoking commentary appears occasionally in several West texas newspapers, including The Texas Spur and The Caprock Courier.