Caring, courageous, generous – the list of virtuous attributes is long. Seventy years of reign leave much room for criticism but not in the case of Queen Elizabeth II. People who have had personal moments with The Queen have expressed their gratitude and admiration for her as the UK celebrates the Platinum Jubilee, marking 70 impressive years of service.

The most senior bishop in the church of England, Justin Welby described a heartwarming incident he witnessed when he properly met the Queen for the first time.

Queen Elizabeth II once sat and spoke to a Rwandan asylum seeker for 15-20 minutes at a lunch event in Liverpool when other people were leaving.

“She gave that completely ‘unimportant’ woman absolute focus, it was something the woman never forgot, and the healing impact she had on her was quite extraordinary.”

“I don’t think there’s anyone in the country who would disagree with the idea that her stoicism, her example to the country, is flawless in so many regards.”

Former Royal protection officer Richard Griffin reminisced about a funny encounter he had while being on a picnic with the Queen. Two American hikers who crossed paths with the monarch did not know they were in the company of the Queen. After a little small talk, they asked if she had met the Queen personally. She jokingly said “no” but pointing at Griffin, she said he had. They asked him what she was like. Playing along with the joke, he said she can get “cantankerous” at times but has a good sense of humour. The Americans went on to take selfies with him and asked the Queen to take the picture. Then they took one with The Queen without knowing who she was. When they went away, the Queen laughingly said she wished she was a fly on the wall when the two found out who she really was. 

Alex Holmes, who met the Queen after becoming part of the Queen’s Young Leader Programme for anti-bullying, described her as “very generous with her time” and that she “agreed that bullying was a serious issue.” 

“You know, as if you’re meeting a friend and just chattering away, and the time goes. This is what I felt happened when I met with her.”

Marilynn Domleo worked as a housekeeper for the then-prime minister of Quebec, Robert Bourassa in 1987. He met the Queen when she was on a visit. “She was very happy to meet me. And she was genuinely interested in what you had to say to her,” she recalled. 

The Queen was born in 1926 and was crowned at the young age of 25. Despite her youthfulness, she mastered difficulties in a remarkable manner. She favoured simplicity in court life and took an informed interest in government business.

The Platinum Jubilee marks 70 years on the throne, as Queen Elizabeth II becomes the longest-reigning monarch in British history. 

This weekend, the UK celebrated Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee, marking 70 years since her ascension to the throne in 1952.

Polling from YouGov has suggested that Britain’s longest reigning monarch and the institution she represents continues to enjoy widespread support widespread among the British public.

Data suggests that Britons favour retaining the monarchy over its abolition  by a margin of 62% to 22%, and that every single age group and political grouping have more people in favour of retaining the monarchy compared to its abolition.

Nonetheless, there are some significant discrepancies between support across ages, with support being highest among 65+ (77% to 13%) and lowest amongst those aged 18-24 (33% to 31%).

So how significant are these numbers and what do they bode for the future of the monarchy?

Firstly it is important to note that high support for the monarchy, and in particular that for the Queen has been high for decades. Indeed, on the occasion of the Queen’s last jubilee in 2012, 69% claimed that Britain would be worse off without the monarchy. This is only one of a number of polls taken over the Queen’s reign suggesting that Britons are still fond of the monarchy. Nonetheless, not all royals are as equally popular. Charles, heir to the throne is considerably less popular than his mother, having an overall net positive rating of +19 compared to his mother’s +62. Even Prince William and Princess Catherine hold better ratings of +59 and +55 respectively.

What does this mean for the future of the monarchy?

Firstly, it seems although the Queen is the most popular member of the royal family and she’s reached the milestone of the Platinum Jubilee, there is no indication that the royal family will be removed anytime soon. Indeed, although trends suggest that the youth are considerably less fond of the royals than the elderly, there is widespread support for the royals across all tiers of society – with even the more unpopular royals having overwhelmingly more support than even the most politicians. It seems then, that the monarchy will continue to be a part of British life for the foreseeable future.

Dan Marsh, CC BY-SA 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The British police have launched an investigation into the charity set by Prince Charles after allegations were made of it offering Saudi tycoon knighthood in exchange for $2 million in donations.

The cash-for-honors scandal came to light after the right-hand man to Prince Charles; Michael Fawcett, stepped down from his position of running the charity. The right-hand man resigned last year after an internal investigation conducted by the police. The British royal family faced another blow on Wednesday after the Scotland Yard released a statement.

“The decision follows an assessment of a September 2021 letter. This related to media reporting alleging offers of help were made to secure honors and citizenship for a Saudi national,” it said. 

“The Special Enquiry Team has conducted the assessment process which has included contacting those believed to hold relevant information…The assessment determined an investigation will commence,” they added. 

According to The Sunday Times newspaper in September, a Saudi businessman by the name of Mahfouz Marei Mubarak bin Mahfouz received an award after donating to projects supported by the Prince which correlates with the recent allegations. He was awarded an honorary CBE which is the highest order of the British Empire award for someone not from Britain in 2016. Moreover, an independent investigation led by the police into their fundraising practices has also revealed some relevant documents. However, no arrests or interviews have been conducted yet. 

In fact, “the Prince of Wales had no knowledge of the alleged offer of honours or British citizenship on the basis of donation to his charities,” said a spokesperson for Prince Charles and the spokesperson for the foundation stated “It would be inappropriate to comment on an ongoing investigation,” when asked to comment on the ongoing allegations. In addition to this, Mahfouz has denied any wrongdoings on his part as well. 

The Mahfouz Foundation that received donations was set up to “promote and advance the education of the public in the United Kingdom in the culture, history, language, literature, and institutions of the Middle East”. The investigation is going on to see if “certain donations received by the Mahfouz Foundation were intended for the charity, have been used in accordance with the donors’ intentions and if they should be returned to the donor or otherwise applied for charitable purposes”.

This allegation came after Prince Andrew’s sexual misconduct allegation was decided to be set outside of court. Needless to say, the Royal family has had a tough start to the year.