In Her 90th Year: Queen Elizabeth II - Liberal, Internationalist and Post-Racial Icon

2016, is the year that Britain has celebrated the 90th birthday of their Head of State, Queen Elizabeth II. HRH's 90th year, gives us the opportunity to reflect on the life and legacy of our Queen and Britain's place in the world at the end of her reign. 

Queen Elizabeth II is one of the world's most recognised faces. In polls she still scores 90% popularity ratings and is considerably more popular than Britain's political leaders. Around the world, she is an icon and the face of Britain's brand, but beyond that many are not aware of Queen Elizabeth II the thinker and doer. Beyond being a beautiful and glamorous icon, Queen Elizabeth II has changed the world. In the future the "Elizabethan Age" will be looked upon as one Britain's greatest era's, an era that saw immense change in British life and a transformation of Britain's relationship with it's former Empire.

Whilst the US is still struggling to have its first female Head of State, Queen Elizabeth II, our Head of State, has been the most powerful woman in the world for more than 60 years. Making her the United Kingdom's longest serving Monarch. Long before Margaret Thatcher, Angela Merkel and Hilary Clinton; Queen Elizabeth II was ruler of the world's biggest Empire. Long before Barack Obama expressed his desires for a post-racial society, Queen Elizabeth II beat him to it expressing her desires for a post-racial Commonwealth of Nations in the 1950's. Queen Elizabeth II throughout her entire reign has been an example to the British people of the British Isles and those that she has called her people across the globe.

On the 90th birthday of Queen Elizabeth II it is time to rethink HRH as a liberal icon; a quiet radical who has led Britain's reform by her own example and liberal persuasions. An example that we should all follow today. Here are a few highlights why I believe that Queen Elizabeth II should be considered a liberal icon and how the Elizabethan age will be remembered as an era of liberal monarchy unlike any other in Britain's history.

Feminist Icon

In the 1940's during WWII Queen Elizabeth II was enlisted into the British Army. As a member of Britain's armed forces Queen Elizabeth II, then a Princess, became a mechanic. Before the rise of the feminist movement, the then Princess, had showed a desire to transform the traditions that had meant women were considered the inferior sex and unable to contribute to what was considered a "man's world". Still today, it is not often that we see female mechanics, but in the 1940's, the then Princess donned her overalls and got down under the bonnet of cars and fixed them, she changed tyres and became a skilled mechanic to support her countries war effort. Long before Margaret Thatcher, Angela Merkel and Hilary Clinton, Queen Elizabeth II was ruler of the world's biggest Empire; she was then and still is today the most powerful woman in the world and one of the most powerful persons. Period. It is to Queen Elizabeth II, a woman, that Britain's soldiers and governments pledge their allegiance too. It is the family name of Queen Elizabeth II that was given to the Windsor family in the 1950's when most of the country had named families after the male parent. Whilst the US talks about getting it's first female Head of State, Britain has been led by a female mechanic for decades. Today, we Britain's must give due credit to our Monarch and honour her as a Feminist icon. A pin-up for those values that have become so popular today.

Anti-racism

On her Coronation, Queen Elizabeth II delivered her Coronation speech. The Coronation of the United Kingdom is the British version of the US inauguration. During their Coronation speech, the Head of State sets out their ideals for the age. The Coronation speech of Queen Elizabeth II offered an insight into the anti-racist values of the Monarch that should be adopted by all citizens of the United Kingdom and beyond.

It is well known that Queen Elizabeth II is the most travelled person in the world. Whilst many British citizens had never met or engaged with someone from Africa, Asia, the Pacific or the West Indies, Queen Elizabeth II had visited, met, been friends with, and entertained by a wide range of people of varying hues and backgrounds for all her adult life. Making her considerably more worldly than the political class and the wider population. In the 80's, during the Apartheid struggle in South Africa. Queen Elizabeth II expressed the quiet anger and veiled language of the Monarch to express disagreements on Apartheid policies. It is said by the Queen's biographers, that this is one of the rare moments that Queen Elizabeth II showed a glimpse of her liberal persuasions. The statements were denied by the Monarchs press office but many witnesses have stated that Queen Elizabeth II was sympathetic to the anti-apartheid struggle and was one of the first world leaders to meet Nelson Mandela on release from prison. Since her Coronation, Queen Elizabeth II has slowly built a movement of Heads of States from 52 nations across the world including Africa, India, the Caribbean and the Pacific putting her anti-racist, liberal tendencies into practice. In the 1950's not long after Apartheid had swept across South Africa and there were considerable racist attitudes across the US and Francophone world, Queen Elizabeth II was not afraid to challenge the order of the day and engage with those of different hues and backgrounds.

She was a friend of Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie I and saw no shame in the Emperor kissing her hand or holding his arm as they left the palace as a sign of affection for the Elder Monarch and Statesman. When Ghana won independence in 1958, Queen Elizabeth II showed no hesitation in dancing hand in hand with the Ghanaian revolutionary Kwame Nkrumah. She saw no issue in entertaining Tanzania leader Julius Nyerere and travelling with him in her carriage in the 1960's. Queen Elizabeth has been a friend and ally of some of Africa's most revolutionary figures without a hint of racial superiority.

Today, we must think of our Monarch as a pioneering anti-racist, who in her quiet way challenged the racial status quo of the day. Here is an insert from Queen Elizabeth II's Coronation speech,

"I have behind me, not only the splendid traditions and the annals of more than a thousand years but the living strength and Majesty of the Commonwealth and Empire of societies old and new. Of lands and races different in history and origins but all by God's will united in spirit and in aim."

Internationalism

Queen Elizabeth II inherited the Commonwealth; an organisation that was formed in 1949 as a free association of states who had been in a colonial relationship with the British Empire.  When the organisation was inherited it held only 7 member countries that included Australia, Canada, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa and Sri Lanka. Today, the Commonwealth is an organisation made up of 52 nations, from across 5 continents, representing 2.2 billion people. It is an organisation that spans people of an array of complexions and hues; backgrounds and ethnicity's joined together to challenge some of the world's most pressing problems such as climate change and gender equality. Queen Elizabeth II has been singlehandedly engaged in recruiting new member states into the organisation and the significant expansion and friendships, that Queen Elizabeth II established for the organisation, will be her single most important legacy and define the Elizabethan age as an age where the Monarch embraced a decidedly post-racial politics. Whilst many desired to cut ties with the Commonwealth, Queen Elizabeth has been committed to creating one of the most amazing global networks to exist. An organisation that could be considered second only to the United Nations.

Queen Elizabeth II has guided and shaped the principles of the Commonwealth with a gentle hand. Using her political skills to promote human rights and work cooperatively with others to produce the Commonwealth Charter. Whilst the governments and the political class moved towards Pan-Europeanism, Queen Elizabeth II diligently worked to maintain and expand Commonwealth relationships. Relationships, that I believe will play a major part in Britain's future. Today, as Theresa May negotiates in India for greater trade relationships between the UK and India, we must thank Queen Elizabeth II for maintaining relationships that may now become some of the United Kingdom's most important in a post-brexit age. This year we must celebrate Queen Elizabeth II as a great internationalist who has maintained a noble, post-colonial and decolonised vision for unity between the former colonies of the British Empire. Now is the time to follow the great internationalist example of our Head of State Queen Elizabeth II.

Decolonialism

For hundreds of years, the British Empire colonised the world. Nations as far apart as India, Africa, Australia and the Caribbean were colonial outposts of the empire; the world's biggest. Many citizens of these colonies were ruthlessly exploited and considered inferior to those of the "white" race.  For many Britain's, Empire is a stain on Britain's conscience. During the era of Queen Elizabeth II we have seen a transformation of the British Empire that has seen all colonies given independence. Since her Coronation in 1953, the many colonies of the British Empire in Africa and the West-Indies have become decolonised. The first African nation to achieve independence from the British Empire came just 5 years after the Coronation of our Monarch. Ghana who gained independence in 1958, was followed by the liberation of most of Britain's colonies across Africa and the West Indies through the 60's. The Elizabethan age must be remembered as an age where the Monarch acted as a liberator and broke up the British Colonial Empire. Many will argue, that the response of Queen Elizabeth II in the process of decolonisation was prompted by the growing populist movements across the world and this cannot be denied but Queen Elizabeth II must be remembered as the Monarch that broke up the British Empire and built a new post-racial alliance of former British colonies that today work together to share ideas and expertise and to tackle humanitarian issues such as climate change, gender equality and poverty. The Elizabethan age has been an age of momentous change. An age of decolonisation and movement toward a new reconfigured post-racial global network, a network that is perhaps the greatest global network of all time. As we reflect on the 90th year of Queen Elizabeth II, we must seek to follow her example of challenging racism and tyranny. We must like her seek to deliver freedom across the world. We should look beyond the racist ideals that may have been part of a pre-1960's Britain and look towards our Monarch for moral guidance.

Post-Race

Long before the campaign of Barack Obama for President of the United States of America and his vision of a post-racial America, since her Coronation in 1953 Queen Elizabeth II has been an advocate of a post-racial society. She has clearly and eloquently set out a future vision for Britain and the global network that is the Commonwealth. She has considered the "Anglosphere" way of life to not only be the way of life of those of the windy British Isles but also the many people that are part of the Commonwealth Realms and Britain's former colonies. In no uncertain terms Queen Elizabeth II has considered the people of the Empire to be her people, regardless of race, ethnicity and background. She has imagined the way of life of the British people as not only for "white" Britain but for all those who have been considered her subjects across the world. Her message of a globalised "Anglosphere", of many hues and backgrounds is still today one of the most potent political messages of all time.  Here is an excerpt from the defining speech of the Elizabethan age,

"There has also sprung from our island home, a theme of social and political thought, which constitutes our message to the world, and through the changing generations has found acceptance both within and far beyond my realms. Parliamentary institutions with their free speech and respect for the rights of minorities and the inspiration of a broad tolerance in thought and its expression. All this, we conceive to be, a precious part of our way of life and outlook... In recent centuries this message has been sustained and invigorated by the immense contribution in language and literature and action of the nations of our Commonwealth overseas. It gives expression, as I pray it always will, to living principles, as sacred to the Crown and Monarchy as to its many Parliaments and peoples. I ask you now to cherish them and practice them too. Then we can go forward together in peace; seeking justice and freedom for all men."

It is time for us all to gather around and follow the example of our Queen and Head of State, Queen Elizabeth II.

God save the Queen!

Queen Elizabeth II, Coronation Speech, June 1953