Ben Pimlott - The Queen - Elizabeth II and the Monarchy

Richard Nixon is filmed shaking Prince Charles’s hand for the Royal Family film ( BBC © Crown )

The Queen visits the Children’s Palace, Canton, October 1986 ( Tim Graham )

It’s a Royal Knockout! June 1987 ( Photographers International Picture Library )

The Queen and the Princess of Wales with bridesmaids, 1981 ( Patrick Lichfield/Camera Press London )

The Princess of Wales in New York 1995 ( Tim Graham )

Welcome the Queen ( British Pathe plc/National Portrait Gallery, London )

Andy Warhol painting of the Queen (Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom 1985 by Andy Warhol © The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc./ARS, NY and DACS, London 2002 )

Sticker artwork for single ‘God Save The Queen’, 1977 by Jamie Reid

The Queen as depicted by Spitting Image , 1985 ( Spitting Image Productions )

Detail of Trooping the Colour by William Roberts (© Tate London 2001 )

Queen Anne touching Dr Johnson, when a boy, to cure him of Scrofula or ‘King’s Evil’ ( Private Collection/Bridgeman Art Library )

The Princess of Wales meets a resident of the Lord Gage Centre, Newham, East London, September 1990 ( Tim Graham )

‘The Apotheosis of Princess Charlotte’, oil painting by Henry Howard, 1818 ( National Trust Photographic Library )

The sea of flowers and bouquets outside Kensington Palace after the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, September 1997 ( Justin G. Thomas/Camera Press )

The Funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales, September 1997 ( Mark Stewart/ Camera Press )

Mourners in Hyde Park during the funeral service of Diana, Princess of Wales, September 1997 (© Chris Steele-Perkins/Magnum Photos )

The Queen leaving HMY Britannia for the last time, 11 December 1997 ( Tim Graham )

The Queen and Donald Dewar after the Scottish Parliament was officially opened in Edinburgh, 1 July 1999 ( Roger Donovan/PA Photos )

The Queen joined Mrs Susan McCarron (front left), her son James and Liz McGinniss for tea in their home in the Castlemilk area of Glasgow, 7 July 1999 ( Dave Cheskin/PA Photos )

The Queen gives Maundy Money to 150 Christian pensioners at Westminster Abbey, 12 April 2001 ( Camera Press )

The Queen picks up a shot pheasant and rings its neck while out on a shoot on the Sandringham Estate, 18 November 2000 ( Alban Donohoe Picture Service )

‘The Queen and I’ by Sue Townsend, March 1994 ( Donald Cooper/ Photostage )

Camilla Parker-Bowles at Somerset House in London for a party hosted by the Press Complaints Commission, 7 February 2001 ( Tim Graham )

The Queen and Pope John Paul II exchanging gifts in his private office in the Vatican City in Rome, 17 October 2000 ( Tim Graham )

The Moon Against the Monarchy protest, 3 June 2000 ( Stefan Rousseau/ PA Photos )

The State Opening of Parliament, 20 June 2001 ( Tim Graham )

Prince William during his Raleigh International expedition in southern Chile, 11 December 2000 ( Tim Graham Picture Library )

The Queen visits Kingsbury High School in Brent to launch the Royal web site, 6 July 1997 ( Tim Graham Picture Library )

CARTOONS

The Flowers and the Princesses ( Reproduced by permission of Punch . Published on 28th April 1937 )

Birthday Greetings ( Reproduced by permission of Punch . Published 23rd April 1947 )

Vicky on the Altrincham affair (Mirror Syndication /Centre for the Study of Cartoons, University of Kent. Published in the Daily Mirror 14th August 1957 )

Jak ‘Your Move!’ ( Atlantic/Centre for the Study of Cartoons, University of Kent. Published in the Evening Standard 5th March 1968)

Steadman ‘Up the Mall’ ( Ralph Steadman. Published in Private Eye 4th July 1969 )

Rigby ‘And Treble time . . .’ ( News International Newspapers Ltd./Centre for the Study of Cartoons, University of Kent. Published in the Sun , 3rd December 1971 )

Franklin ‘Singing in the Reign’ ( News International Newspapers Ltd./John Frost Historical Newspaper Service. Published in the Sun 30th December 1976 )

Cummings ‘I love red but not red carpets’ ( Express Newspapers/Centre for the Study of Cartoons, University of Kent. Published in the Daily Express 31st July 1981 )

Kal on the Commonwealth ( Kevin Kallaugher/Centre for the Study of Cartoons, University of Kent. Published in Today 16th July 1986 )

Johnston ‘Toe Sucking’ ( News International Newspapers Ltd./John Frost Historical Newspaper Service. Published in the Sun 20th August 1992 )

Franklin on the popularity of the Monarchy in Australia ( News International Newspapers Ltd./John Frost Historical Newspaper Service. Published in the Sun 29th February 1992 )

Bell ‘Orff with her ring!’ ( Steve Bell. Published in the Guardian 22nd December 1995)

Bell ‘The way ahead senior royals think tank’ ( Steve Bell/Centre for the Study of Cartoons, University of Kent. Published in the Guardian , 20 August 1996 )

Cummings ‘I’m having a ghastly nightmare that the photographers stopped invading my privacy!’ ( Mrs M. Cummings/Centre for the Study of Cartoons, University of Kent. Published in The Times , 16th August 1997 )

Griffin ‘The Queen of all our hearts’ ( Express Newspapers/Centre for the Study of Cartoons, University of Kent . Published in The Daily Express , 1st September 1997 )

Gerald Scarfe ‘The Tidal Wave’ (Centre for the Study of Cartoons, University of Kent. Published in the Sunday Times , 7 September 1997 )

Unny on the Queen (The Indian Express (Bombay). Published in The Indian Express , 12th October 1997 )

Trog on the death of Diana, Princess of Wales ( Wally Faukes/Centre for the Study of Cartoons, University of Kent. Published in the Sunday Telegraph , 7th September 1997 )

Gerald Scarfe on the Australian referendum ( Centre for the Study of Cartoons, University of Kent. Published in the Sunday Times, 7th November 1999 )

Mac ‘So Sophie. After that absolutely abysmal performance, you are the weakest link – goodbye’ ( Atlantic/Centre for the Study of Cartoons, University of Kent. Published in the Daily Mail , 9th April 2001 )

Queen Elizabeth II 1926

FOREWORD

TO THE DIAMOND JUBILEE EDITION

Had Ben Pimlott been with us in the run-up to 2012, the print and electronic media would have made his telephone number and email the first to which they turned for a Diamond Jubilee assessment of the reign of Queen Elizabeth II. To understand why is captured between these covers. The pages to come are the product of what happened when a leading political biographer and a top-flight historian of the twentieth century, the gifts combined in Ben’s person, took a long and serious look at the formation, the functions, the style and the adaptability of the lady whom we Brits of the post-war era were, and are, so fortunate to have as our Head of State.

Ben was naturally superb at calibrating the fluidities of our political and constitutional streams as they touched and occasionally refashioned the ancient banks of the Monarchy. He set the Queen’s reign in the context of all the wider changes to her UK realm on her road from 1952 – withdrawal from Empire; the long, reluctant retreat from great powerdom; our emotional deficit with Europe; a social revolution or two; and considerable changes in the size and make-up of our population. Through all these shifts, the Queen has been a gilt-edged constant who, in my judgement, has never put a court shoe wrong as a constitutional sovereign even though as a country we are entirely without a written highway code for Monarchy, relying on conventions and a constitution which, as Mr Gladstone wrote, ‘presumes more boldly than any other the good sense and good faith of those who work it’. Good sense and good faith are the prime requirements of a British and Commonwealth constitutional monarch and the Queen possesses both in abundance.