Tuesday 8th September, 2015
This Wednesday 9th September, Queen Elizabeth will surpass Queen Victoria as Britain's longest serving monarch.
Prince William has paid tribute to his grandmother by writing the preface to a new book, Elizabeth II The Steadfast by Douglas Hurd. Hurd is a former British home secretary and foreign secretary and as such viewed Her Majesty at close quarters.
Elizabeth II The Steadfast is part of a series of short stories about Britain's sovereigns published by Penguin Press.
For those interested in the Penguin Monarchs series, an article in the independent.co.uk gives a review:
http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/features/penguin-has-embarked-on-a-fouryear-project-to-chronicle-the-lives-of-all-45-of-our-monarchs-9904553.html
William's preface is copied below:
Preface to Elizabeth II: The Steadfast by HRH Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, 2015
Over the last ninety years, the world has changed more rapidly than at any time in history.
When
my grandmother The Queen was born in 1926, the wounds of the Great War
were still healing, but few would imagine how soon they would be
reopened.
The confidence of the previous century had
morphed into uncertainty and many worried – as they still do – about the
challenge presented to our communities by rapid technological and
social change.
After almost ninety years, we find
ourselves in a world that has changed dramatically, almost beyond
recognition to the world that The Queen was born into, but where the
role of charity, family, duty and compassion perseveres.
I
think I speak for my generation when I say that the example and
continuity provided by The Queen is not only very rare among leaders but
a great source of pride and reassurance.
Time and
again, quietly and modestly, The Queen has shown us all that we can
confidently embrace the future without compromising the things that are
important.
From a personal point of view, I am privileged to witness the private side of The Queen, as a grandmother and great-grandmother.
The
Queen’s kindness and sense of humour, her innate sense of calm and
perspective, and her love of family and home are all attributes I
experience first-hand.
I should add that no mention of
The Queen is complete without paying tribute to my grandfather Prince
Philip, who has devoted his life to supporting her.
All
of us who will inherit the legacy of my grandmother’s reign and
generation need to do all we can to celebrate and learn from her story.
Speaking for myself, I am privileged to have The Queen as a model for a
life of service to the public.
HRH Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, 2015
