3 Things We Can Learn From Queen Elizabeth II
Plus, announcing this month's BOOK CLUB selection!
3 Things We Can Learn From Queen Elizabeth II
Hello friends! How is everyone’s week going? Feel free to share in the comments below. My week has been up and down. Yesterday, my mother came over to take care of Mr. Baby and I got a ton of work done, which was so exciting! I filmed 4 videos, recorded the next episode of Classically Ever After with Jacob, and even had time to edit today’s video so that I could post it! Today, though, I’m pretty tired because Mr. Baby woke up in the night a few more times than usual. But he’s in his fifth developmental leap, so I won’t hold it against him. :)
As you all probably know, the Queen of England passed away last week. Even though we all knew in the back of our minds that she was bound to pass sometime, she was a fixture in all of our lives. It was hard to believe that she ever really would move on to the next world! And yet, in her 96th year, she did. We will never again in our lives hear God Save The Queen sung.
Queen Elizabeth II was a role model in so many ways. The monarchy of Britain is held to certain standards that are truly classic, and the Queen was emblematic of many of them. Despite the fact that we are Americans, there are some long-held traditions in the British royal family that are worth living out. We may not be subjects of the royal family, but we can still look across the sea and learn lessons from their poise. So in today’s article, I just want to share three lessons we could learn from her long, well-lived life. And perhaps we could all be a little more classic in honor of her memory.
Do your duty. Queen Elizabeth II was never supposed to be queen. She was third in line to the crown, after her uncle, Edward, and her father, Albert. Only after Edward abdicated in order to marry an American divorcee by the name of Wallis Simpson was Elizabeth’s father forced into the role of king. So by the time Elizabeth was only 10 years old, she was in line to rule. When she was only 14, Elizabeth broadcasted to displaced British children across the world during the Second World War. At 21, she recorded a radio broadcast stating, “I declare before you all that my whole life whether it be long or short shall be devoted to your service and the service of our great imperial family to which we all belong.” And at 25, she became queen. Can you imagine yourself at 25 bearing the weight of the world on your shoulders? And yet Elizabeth did it with aplomb. The lesson we can take away from Queen Elizabeth II is that we should do our duty as she did hers. In today’s day and age, often we look at duty with scorn, as though we have no duty except to ourselves. But that’s false. We have duties to others. We have duties that are worthy of our attention. We have duties that should not be brushed aside. And Queen Elizabeth, despite being young, despite perhaps never wanting to be queen, did her duty and will be remembered for her lifelong service into the distant future.
Privacy is something to be valued. Despite the fact that Queen Elizabeth spent her entire life in the public eye, she was very private about her personal life. Because she was meant to be a symbol for the people, a living crown in a sense, she didn’t want to muddy the waters by sharing her personal problems publicly. She didn’t splash any gossip across the tabloids. She didn’t talk about her problems for the public’s consumption. In today’s day and age, where everything is shared on social media, it’s really important to remember the value of privacy. We don’t need to share every little thought or action online for everyone to see. Instead, it’s much more classic to keep certain things for ourselves and for our families. Making everything we do into a spectacle doesn’t allow us to reflect on our lives in a normal way - instead, everything is done performatively. And Queen Elizabeth, despite being a public person, was anything but performative.
Stand out in the crowd…and have a little fun while doing it. Queen Elizabeth was known for her beautiful fashion sense. She chose clothing that reflected the trends of the time while remaining steadfastly classic. But later in her life, the Queen chose to wear brightly colored coats and dresses so that she could always be recognized in the crowd. As a shorter woman, it was important that she still be identifiable even at her diminutive height. And she chose to wear some pretty intense colors that were so much fun! It’s always a gas to wear something that stands out from the crowd, even though we aren’t royal. So go ahead and try it! As well, choose something that appeals to you! If you like big flower prints or stripes or polka dots, go for it. But wear something that makes you feel special and brings a smile to your face at the same time.
I’d love to hear from you all - what’s a lesson you’ve learned from Queen Elizabeth II? Which of these lessons was your favorite? Share your thoughts down below!
ANNOUNCING: This Month’s Book Club Selection!
I’m excited to share this month’s book club selection! This month we are reading nonfiction (we switch up month-to-month) and the book we will be reading is…The Case Against The Sexual Revolution! After hearing the author, Louise Perry, on Bari Weiss’ podcast, I reached out to her. She will be coming on my podcast after book club discussion next month and she will be answering YOUR questions! Make sure to keep a running list of questions that I can share with her. I can’t wait to discuss it with you all!
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I just finished a House of Windsor documentary because I felt a bit clueless (apart from the pop culture knowledge of the royal family) and I learned so much. I might need to read a book now so if anyone here has a good recommendation on anything about the house of Windsor or even further back please let me know!
I think a great lesson from Queen Elizabeth II is that often times doing less and saying less can make much of a bigger impact and be much louder than causing any sort of a scene. An example would be the bowing of her head when Diana’s casket passed while her sister beside her would not. A layered gesture given the relationship between QEII and the former princess. (This honestly might not be the best example, there are many)
I think if your morals are strong and you carry yourself with grace they way she did, you never have to raise your voice to be heard because you’ll already be respected.
I think she showed how to balance duty and the meaningful work of leading her country with the (also very important) work of raising a family