Crowning Glory The Queen at her coronation in June 1953
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A Future in England's Dreaming
The Queen can be flinty, even intimidating, though diva-like histrionics have never been part of her repertoire. "She is ultimately a practical and levelheaded person. You know the standards that you've got to achieve, and you know you've got to achieve them all the time with her," says an official. In his recent biography Diamond Queen, Andrew Marr described what typically happens to those who disappoint. "She never argues, she just looks at the person very blankly," a source told Marr. "The corners of her mouth don't turn down. It's not a hostile look. It's just a complete blank — and it's devastating."
Talking to the Queen quickly reveals her to be sharp of mind — and tongue. She is interested in politics but not obviously partisan. She has held weekly audiences with every Prime Minister from Winston Churchill on. Neither monarch nor ministers reveal the precise topics discussed, but many Premiers — and there have been 12 during her reign — have spoken of her wisdom. "What I found to be her most surprising attribute is how streetwise she is," Tony Blair told another biographer, Robert Hardman. "Frequently throughout my time as Prime Minister, I was always stunned by her total ability to pick up the public mood and define it in the conversations I had with her." David Cameron cites "her huge knowledge of other countries. She has traveled incredibly widely, and that shines through in conversation with her. Whether it's Saudi Arabia, Canada or Tuvalu, she's been there and knows the issues."
She can be forthright, and her sense of humor runs from the sly to the slapstick. On one occasion, describing the conferring of a knighthood on a well-known entertainer, the Queen pointed at the burnt-orange rug on which she and her guests were standing to indicate the once pale-skinned performer's improbable shade of tan.
There's a tendency to assume the royals are more fragile and pampered than ordinary folk. In fact, they often turn out to be unusually robust. Palace life can be austere, and family members are further toughened by boarding schools and the males by military training and in some cases deployments. It is also true that the microculture of palace life breeds a distinct and separate species. Chatting with TIME in 2006, Prince Andrew mused on his upbringing: "People say to me, 'Would you like to swap your life with me for 24 hours? Your life must be very strange.' But of course I have not experienced any other life. It's not strange to me. [It's] the same way with the Queen. She has never experienced anything else."
That is not strictly true. Born in 1926 to the second son of King George V, "Lilibet" was able to enjoy a life of quiet privilege until the death of her grandfather and the unexpected abdication of his heir, her uncle King Edward VIII, who chose Wallis Simpson over destiny and duty.
From the moment of her father's accession in 1936, she prepared for her own accession. She has cultivated no known vices, works long hours, appears more indulgent to her beloved dogs than to her children and more indulgent to them than to herself. Choosing Philip, a comparatively impoverished scion of the ousted Greek monarchy, as her husband is probably the closest she has ever come to putting her own interests first, yet even that decision turned out well. Prince Philip may not be a natural diplomat, but his pithy and politically incorrect pronouncements have added to the gaiety of nations, or at least of his adopted nation, and he has sublimated his own ambitions to supporting his wife. Prince Harry told Marr, "Regardless of whether my grandfather seems to be doing his own thing, sort of wandering off like a fish down a river, the fact that he's there — personally, I don't think she could do it without him, especially when they're both at this age."
The Queen has a close relationship with her grandchildren, especially William and Harry, in some respects closer than with her own children. She may have mellowed or even learned from the warm and impulsive Diana to be more emotionally available; she certainly made efforts to comfort her bereaved grandsons for their loss. As a young mother, she was no Diana. Her determination to serve her country meant her children put up with long absences. In 1953, the new Queen and her husband left Charles and Anne for a protracted state tour. Andrew and Edward, born after their mother's coronation, never knew a time when their father did not trail two steps behind their mother in public, as protocol dictates. If they find themselves straddling a gap between their realities and the wider world's, that's hardly surprising.
As a result, none of the Queen's offspring have enjoyed an untroubled relationship with that wider world. They can seem arrogant. They can appear spendthrift. Anne at least carved out a career as an equestrian. The younger sons lack direction. The oldest, Charles, has direction but no momentum. The Queen's extraordinary staying power has consigned her heir to a long apprenticeship.
Her popularity has barely flickered during crises, but she will not be around to witness the greatest challenge the monarchy faces — the succession. The loyalty she has commanded at home and in her realms — the affection she inspires — cannot be willed to her heirs like a title or a palace. Charles worries monarchists and republicans alike with his apparent desire to push the boundaries of the royal role to advocate for environmental conservation and conservative architecture. His son William might be a more popular choice, especially with his wife Catherine sharing the throne, but to tinker with the order of succession would be to raise questions about whether a hereditary monarchy should exist at all. William told Hardman that the Queen is deeply concerned about handing over the reins — and the reign. "She'll want to hand over knowing she's done everything she possibly could to help, and that she's got no regrets and no unfinished business; that she's done everything she can for the country and that she's not let anyone down — she minds an awful lot about that," he said. The final test of Monarchy Inc.'s savvy CEO will be whether the organization remains as strong — and as unexpectedly relevant — over the next 60 years as the one she will leave behind.
In a new book from TIME, The Royal Family: Britain's Resilient Monarchy Celebrates Elizabeth II's 60-Year Reign, Europe editor Catherine Mayer and colleagues look at Britain's resilient monarchy celebrating Queen Elizabeth II's 60-year reign. Now available in bookstores, or go to www.time.com/royalsbook to order your copy today.