London, (Parliament Politics Magazine)- Constancy, duty, and service are the words that people have used most when describing their feelings towards Queen Elizabeth. Few of us have experienced anyone else on the throne and her long reign has entwined her into our nation’s very identity.
She was present for every major event of our lives, whether happy or sad. My first memory of the Queen was watching her present the World Cup to England’s captain Bobby Moore in 1966. I was only eight, yet still remember him wiping his sweaty hands on the velvet cover of the balustrade in front of the Royal Box before he shook the Queen’s hand and received the trophy from her. From then on, she was ever-present at many national events from tragedies, Christmas messages, her jubilees, the Olympics, and of course the State Openings of Parliament.
My favourite story concerning the royal family is an account written by Eleanor Roosevelt describing her stay at Buckingham Palace during the Second World War. King George VI and Queen Elizabeth had refused to send their two daughters abroad for their safety, insisting they stayed with them in London rather than go even to the relative safety of Windsor. They personally gave Mrs Roosevelt an introduction to wartime Britain, showing her the bomb damage to the palace grounds and to their living quarters, and instructing her on the necessity for blackout blinds to be properly secured. Mrs Roosevelt noted that all the windowpanes in her room had been smashed. She describes eating with the finest crockery, but only being served the same rations as were available to everyone else. The Royal Family apologised that she was only allowed a small fire in her rooms saying they ‘hoped she would not be too cold’ and pointed out the black line in the bath above which she was not allowed to fill it.
This was the type of leadership by example shown by the Queen throughout her reign. By joining our country’s collective effort during the Second World War she learned first-hand that it was only pulling together as one, that our nation would achieve victory. It was that knowledge of sticking together and collective endeavour that she drew on to make her ‘We Will Meet Again’ address to the nation during the first Covid-19 lockdown.
  She spoke with the authority of someone from a generation that had experienced great loss and the darkest of times. She assured us that together we could defeat Covid, ‘if we remain united and resolute, we will overcome it’ and gave us a gentle warning not to let ourselves down. ‘I hope in the years to come everyone will be able to take pride in how they responded to this challenge and those who come after us will say that the Britons of this generation were as strong as any. That the attributes of self-discipline, quiet good-humoured resolve and fellow-feeling still characterised this country.’ She finished with the rallying cry of ‘We will meet again.’ Only someone of her generation and with her lifetime of experience could make those words land with such authority.
Her leadership was demonstrated to us powerfully when we saw the image of the Queen sitting alone, wearing her mask, obeying the rules at her husband’s funeral. Up and down the country families were being denied the right to mourn at funerals and so it had to be for her and her family. I admired her enormously for the leadership she showed at what must have been one of the saddest moments of her life. Her decision that day reflected her dedication to her duty shown throughout her reign.  Â
It is not fair on those that must follow to say we shall never see her like again, but her longevity meant that she had become a constant presence in the lives of us all. She has lived a long life in the spotlight and performed her role with self-discipline, quiet good-humoured resolve and a fellow-feeling with the public. Attributes which she said characterise our country. We must say thank you for that.
Clive Efford MP
Member of Parliament for Eltham