God bless the Queen

     

     Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, celebrated her 90th birthday on April 21, with her entire family around her. 

     This past weekend, May 12 to 15, a three-day festival celebration was held at the HomePark private grounds at Windsor Castle. 

     

     It played host to the Royal Windsor Equine show with daytime and evening performances featuring 900 horses and over 1,500 participants. The beautiful evening display of the castle fully lit up in lights is sure to be a party fit for a queen. 

   As an owner and breeder of thoroughbreds, Her Majesty's love of horses will be celebrated, as well as her dedication to the United Kingdom, the Commonwealth and International Affairs. 

     Celebrities such as The Tenors, Andrea Bocelli, Damian Lewis and others were to stage a television show celebrating the monarch's life. Canada's RCMP will present their famous Musical Ride. 

     This is the only time the public is allowed on the grounds. 

     The Queen obviously knows how to throw a party. 

     

     During her reign, more than 1.5 million people have attended garden parties at Buckingham Palace or the Palace of Holyrood House in Edinburg. 

     During these celebrations, many have been fortunate to receive a Royal invitation. I don't anticipate ever being one of them, as much as I would love the experience as well as the honour. 

     Instead, I shall be perfectly content to accept, (having already done so) the Royal Invitation from the King of kings and Lord of lords to that great, future celebration in the skies! 

     My hopes of greeting Her Highness while touring her country in 1995, of course, didn't happen. 

     

     Arriving at the ornate gates of Buckingham Palace, I found them tightly locked. 

     Though the structure with its elaborate surroundings were impressive, I was reminded of the Holy City in my future, of which I will be a part. On no day will its gates, made of pearl, ever be shut, for there will be no night there. (Revelation 21:25). 

     Sometime later, while visiting Windsor Castle where the Queen often spends her vacation — I again, saw locked gates. 

     Our tour bus driver suggested stopping for a coffee break at a McDonald's restaurant just down the hill. He suggested we might just find Her Highness enjoying her morning coffee there. No such luck!  

     

     I have had more than a passing interest in the Royal Family since my early childhood. 

     

     The Queen, being near the age of my sister, Merle and Princess Margaret, my age, we eagerly followed the events as they happened in their lives during our growing up years. 

     Therefore, I learned some interesting facts. 

     Here are a few: 

1. Princess Elizabeth, as she was then, learned to "jitterbug" during the War, and in the Sixties, she and Princess Margaret were taught to do the then popular dance, "the twist." I wonder how many of my readers know about that dance. 

2. Prince Philip was her first love. 

3. Married in 1947, while everyone was still recovering from the war, friends kindly contributed to the making of her wedding cake. 

4. Elizabeth had to collect wartime, clothing coupons for her dress material, like any other bride at that time. 

5. Philip gave up the smoking habit on the eve of their marriage. Sounds like true love to me! 

6. Famed for her frugality, I've heard the Queen uses Tupperware to store her breakfast cereal. 

7. I appreciate her colourful wardrobe, accessorizing her outfits with her hats. It's been said, she purposely adopted this style so that she can be easily picked out in a crowd. She regularly recycles her outfits, often many times. 

8. The Queen still wears a mid-heel, slip-on shoe that she first starting wearing five decades ago. They are handmade, costing more than $1,300 a pair, but each pair lasts for years. She has them re-heeled regularly. 

9. Her Majesty loves the bagpipes, and a piper plays outside her window every morning at Buckingham Palace. 

10. She is a big fan of Downton Abbey, and enjoys spotting the show's historical inaccuracies. 

11. No one can sue the Queen. 

12. She is not obliged to give evidence as a witness in court. 

13. She does not need a passport to travel.  

     I admire the Queen for her strong, moral character, remaining steadfast, living through the difficult seasons of life we all face in our families. 

     A devout church-goer, the Queen is serious in her role as Defender of the Faith, having promised in her Coronation oath to "maintain the laws of God and the true profession of the Gospel."     

     Enjoy the following true story: 

     "Some men were hunting near Balmoral, the Queen's country estate. One of them twisted his ankle so badly he couldn't walk, so he told his friends to continue and he would wait by the side of the road. 

     As he sat there, a car came along, slowed and stopped. The woman driving, rolled down her window and asked if he was OK. He explained, saying he was waiting for his friends to return. "Get in," she said. "I'll take you back to where you are staying." 

     He limped to the car, opened the door, only to realize it was Queen Elizabeth!    

     

The next time you feel stranded along life's road, look for "your" helper.   

— beulah