“The Queen of England was perhaps the best diplomat our country has produced”

MEven for those who pretend not to be interested in history, the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II is an event with a strong symbolic charge. This is for the whole world, and not just for us Brits, the end of an era – it’s a door closing on the past, a final farewell to the 20the century, a line drawn on a world that is no more. The Queen of England was for decades one of the most famous personalities on the planet. As Emmanuel Macron so nicely put it: “For you, she was your queen. For us, she was THE queen. »

Entirely identified with the title, responsibilities and function which were hers by chance of birth, Queen Elizabeth commanded respect and admiration wherever she went, and even in countries where she never set foot. In doing so, she was a remarkable ambassador for the United Kingdom, her kingdom; perhaps even the best diplomat our country has produced.

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This is due, among other things, to his extraordinary longevity on the throne. During her reign, she has seen fifteen British prime ministers pass by, including the most recent [Liz Truss] took office on September 6; ten presidents of the French Republic and no less than sixty-one governments in Italy. Nine out of ten living people in the world were born when Elizabeth II was queen. And it’s amazing to think that she was on the throne for nearly a third of the United States’ existence as an independent nation.

The resulting stability and sense of continuity have been invaluable to the UK, both domestically and internationally. During the political, economic and military crises of recent years, we have been able to take comfort in the fact that certain things have remained unchanged in times of uncertainty and change. Let us think in particular of the speech that the Queen gave every Christmas at 3 p.m., in which she stressed that hope must overcome fear, encouraged us to be more kind and tolerant, and reminded us that it was our duty to help our neighbour. The Queen embodied these qualities and led by example.

Very sharp mind

She had a dedication and a professional conscience that was more than admirable, out of the ordinary. The queen was “strong as an ox”to use the expression of one of his faithful private secretaries. “Oh, look! Here she is failing again »she said one day about Margaret Thatcher, yet also renowned for her endurance, when the latter, seized with discomfort, had been forced to sit down after a series of exhausting official obligations.

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