Our Queen

It’s seventy years since the Queen came to the throne. Her dad George VI died on 6th February 1952. So I’m having a problem wondering why they are celebrating 70 years later on 2nd June rather than 6th February. I was six at the time and remembered my older brother coming home and telling the family that the King had died. I know that they are actually celebrating my birthday. The coronation was on my eighth birthday on 2nd June 1953. I was eight then and got a lot of mileage out of it, and still do.

The streets of Rochester were decorated with banners and there were street parties all over the place. I was made to stand on a chair while everyone sang happy birthday. Each of the kids was presented with a mug full of candies. The mug had the royal coat of arms printed on it. I kept mine until a few years ago when it got lost in one of our many moves.

This was about a block away from our house

Also at that time, they made a miniature of the coronation coach. This was the first of many Matchbox Toys. I had one that I used to race on the pavement and I probably ended up wrecking it.

I met the queen a few times…no I didn’t. I’ve been close though. If the camera panned a little to the right in the following picture, you would see my best friend John and me.

The queen was visiting the Bishop of Rochester, my hometown. Later when she was leaving we rushed over to where they had the weekly market, beside the railway tracks, and waited for the royal train, The Royal Scot, to pass, not really expecting to see anything. There were about six or eight of us and as the train passed by we saw the queen; she saw us and waved. It was awesome. I also saw her on another visit to the Bishop and was only a few feet away.

Is the British royalty relevant today? Probably not to most of the world, but you have to be a Brit to understand our attachment to them. I personally can’t figure it out, even though I’m 99% Canadian I still have that same attachment. Perhaps it will all change when Elizabeth’s gone and Charles takes over; who knows? The rest of the Royals seem to be a bit blah, after her. But I think that it’s been the same throughout history, except that now the scandal-seeking press and social media bring it all to the forefront, exposing every little wrinkle. Fortunately, Elizabeth herself has been nearly spotless.

Back in the day, royalty, like Henry VIII, Richard III and the first Elisabeth would have had your head off, if you suggested they were doing anything wrong, Ah! Those were the days. Long may she reign!