"If you bow your head, the neck will twist and it (the crown) will fall off"
For the crown, in a BBC interview Queen Elizabeth complained that it was too heavy.
With the crown, the queen could not speak. Because the speech has to read the manuscript, you need to bow your head, and after you look down, it will fall.
This crown is the crown of the Empire, and every year when she attends the opening of Parliament, she wears it, holding her head high and moving among senior British officials.
The Queen said: "All crowns have certain shortcomings, but beyond that they are important. ”
Elizabeth was coronated at Westminster Abbey on 2 June 1953. At the ceremony, the 27-year-old put the 2.23kg St. Edward's crown brought by her father and grandfather on her head. At this moment she was ready to put the whole royal responsibility, the royal duty of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, on her head.
In the 70 years of queenship that followed, she experienced the change of 15 British prime ministers, witnessed the collapse of the empire, the brutal World War II, the panicked Cold War and financial crisis and the British "Brexit".
In the ever-changing world, in the intricate relationship, she, Elizabeth II, the Queen of England, what obligations she should assume, what role to play, and what image to appear in, is the proposition she has practiced throughout her life.
The answer to the proposition comes to the crown on the head.
"I swear to my people that I will dedicate my life to serving you, no matter how long or short I am. Dedicated to the supreme royal family..." This is the content of a speech given by Elizabeth, 21, who accompanied her family on a holiday to South Africa in Cape Town.
In this speech, she made a vow to dedicate her life to the country, to the people, and to the royal family. Because she knows what kind of consequences the change of the royal family will bring to the country and the people.
Elizabeth was not born the chosen son of the throne. She was able to inherit the throne because she had an uncle who only loved beauty and did not love the country, Edward VIII.
Edward VIII was crowned on 20 January 1936 as the second King of the Windsor Dynasty of The United Kingdom. After less than a year on the throne, he insisted on marrying Mrs. Simpson, which greatly damaged the image of the royal family in front of the people, which caused a "constitutional crisis" in Britain.
Edward VIII with Mrs. Simpson
In the midst of this turmoil, Edward VIII voluntarily abdicated, his brother George VI took the throne, and the "constitutional crisis" storm also stopped.
At the time of this incident, although Elizabeth was only 12 years old, she understood that the throne of the king must come to an end once inherited.
She also saw the significance of the king's existence in the British political system, which was only a symbol, not real power. Although as kings they have the power to appoint prime ministers, this does not mean that they can interfere in politics, and even their every move is subject to the suppression of the cabinet and parliament.
If their image is detrimental to the will of the people, they as kings can only abdicate. Therefore, during her 70-year reign, she fulfilled her symbolic obligations to engage in public works, to attend speeches at important moments, and to soothe the hearts and minds of the people. She had never dreamed of exploiting the real power that the people liked to gain.
In her lifetime, Queen Elizabeth never expressed her views on British politics, British parties, in any public place. Her political neutrality in her noble status also made british parties awe-inspiring.
After the abdication of Edward VIII, the image of the British royal family fell to a freezing point.
In order to regain the confidence of the British people in the royal family, when the country is suffering from the crisis of war, 14-year-old Elizabeth uses her childish voice to soothe the panicked children in the war, so that they believe that no matter how much disaster Princess Elizabeth faces, the future Queen of England will be with them and look forward to a better arrival with them.
"When peace comes, remember that it is we, today's children, who will transform tomorrow's world into a better, happier future."
To help win World War II, Elizabeth persuaded her father to support the women's group in the war. During this time, she gave up her royal honor, she went to Oldershaot every day, and learned to repair cars and how to change tires. In the service, she is not putting on a show, but sticking to the front line of the job with everyone.
Princess Elizabeth, who is learning to repair cars
If you mention the most impressive scene of the 2012 British Olympic Games, it should be the opening ceremony of the Queen of England incarnating as "Bunny Girl" and Daniel Craig of James Bond, who plays 007, parachute from the London Bowl. At this time, the queen was already an old man in her eighties.
The moment she put on the crown, she knew that as a responsible and dedicated queen, she was not staying in a palatial palace, looking up at her people, but to walk out of this shrine and stand with the country and the people, whether it was a difficult moment or a peak.
Although the queen's life has been recognized and loved by everyone, she is not perfect enough to be white and flawless.
In the first few years of her reign, Elizabeth attached too much importance to the dignity and image of the king, and when attending important occasions, she did not smile, conservative and serious appearance, so that the people had a sense of distance from her, and even called her "cold-blooded Windsor".
In the face of the people's bad comments, she did not use the royal power to use the power of the media to whitewash herself, and focused on state affairs and used her own actions to resolve people's incomprehension of her.
In dealing with Princess Diana's car accident, the indifference of the royal family and the inaction of the queen disappointed the people, calling them the cold-blooded people in the world.
As a queen, her words and deeds are an extension of the national image. So the Queen is not like an entrepreneur who can give a speech whenever she wants. Faced with public pressure, this time the Queen was no longer silent.
5 days after Diana's death, she gave a speech. This speech is her second to be delivered to the nation after her reign, in addition to her Christmas address.
"As your queen and grandmother, I am speaking to you from the bottom of my heart, and first of all I pay tribute to Diana herself, who is an outstanding and gifted person, whom I respect and admire, and who, like you, are determined to cherish the memory of her."
In her speech, she was not in a hurry to explain why the royal family was cold-blooded. Instead, she used the word grandmother to bring her closer to the people, followed by respect, recognition and remembrance of Diana. A few simple words made all the rumors about her dissipate between the lines.
The British historian and biographer said: "The most noteworthy thing is that the Queen fell in love with the people she fell in love with at first sight and walked into the hallowed halls... It was the first and only experience in her life, when she could drive her own car, she went to the hair salon, she went to the café and had coffee with friends, and she had an almost ordinary life that she had wanted, and hoped to live for a few more years. ”
The queen who removed the crown, she was the daughter of George VI and Elizabeth I, the wife of Philip, the mother of four children, and the children and grandchildren under her knees. In the king's castle, she was also an ordinary woman, who liked to wear colorful clothes, would make jokes, had many pets, and spent Christmas with her family.
On 8 September 2022, Queen Elizabeth, who is 96 years old, can finally remove the flawed but important crown on her head and end her life as a queen.
This time, whether inside or outside the castle, she did not have to think about the ideas of the cabinet meeting, did not have to worry about the comments of the people, she could boldly let go of her long-imprisoned heart, to pursue her Prince Philip, and return to the free tree life.