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Special Parish Nursing Note
posted on September 8, 2022
It was with great sorrow today that I learned of
the death of Queen Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada
and the Commonwealth. Many people today know
very little about her and probably care even
less but I feel compelled to try to change that
as she has set us an example which we all can
learn from. Initially Elizabeth didn’t grow up
expecting to be Queen. Her Uncle Edward was the
successor to the throne. However when her
grandfather, King George V died, Edward was in
love with a divorced woman from the USA. The
monarch automatically becomes head of the Church
of England which in those days did not allow
divorce so Edward abdicated as King to move to
the USA and marry his divorcee. Elizabeth’s
father, Albert, was next in line so he accepted
the responsibility and was crowned King George
VI. This was not an easy decision for him as he
was a shy man with a stutter who hated public
speaking but he accepted his responsibility and
life changed dramatically for Elizabeth then.
When Elizabeth was 13 she met and fell in love
with handsome, 19-yr-old Prince Philip
Mountbatten of Greece who was in the Greek Navy.
World War II started while Elizabeth was still a
teenager. Far from being closeted safely n the
Palace while bombs fell all around them, she
joined the British Women’s Army Corps and spent
the war years working in London helping to
service and repair Army Transport Vehicles. I
know this because my husband, Jim, who served in
the British Royal Marines during the war, was
walking in London with another Marine and saw
her, saying in astonishment to his companion, “
Is that…” and the man immediately replied, “Yes,
that’s Princess Elizabeth.” This is the kind of
person she was, following the example set by her
parents who accepted all the responsibilities
that came their way and did their best to serve
their people.
When the war ended, Princess Elizabeth and
Prince Philip were married. They went to Kenya
for their honeymoon and while there, Elizabeth’s
father died and she became Queen at the age of
26. It was a terrible shock and a big loss for
her but she and Philip immediately returned to
London so she could go through the coronation
ceremony and accept all the responsibilities
that came with being Queen not only of Britain
but also of the Commonwealth, including Canada.
Some monarchs in the past had relished the power
it gave them and ruled with “an iron fist”,
doing whatever they wanted. Elizabeth was never
that kind of Queen. It was all about
responsibilities and duties for her and she had
a very busy schedule, meeting with the British
Prime Minister every week to discuss issues,
being ready for all state occasions, whatever
they involved. For 70 years, as Britain’s
longest reigning monarch, Queen Elizabeth
devoted herself to the service of her God and
the people He had given her to serve. We can
learn a lot from her example. May you rest in
peace, dear Queen.
