Queen to reign 'until day she dies'

The Scotsman
Apr. 21, 2006

Key quote "I'm perfectly certain she will never retire as such. Because it's not like a normal job and to the Queen the vows that she made on Coronation Day are something so deep and so special that she wouldn't consider not continuing to fulfil those vows until she dies." - Margaret Rhodes

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THE Queen will abide by the vow that she made at her coronation and remain as monarch for the rest of her life, her cousin revealed yesterday.

Margaret Rhodes, who was present the day the Queen was crowned, said that despite turning 80 tomorrow the Queen regarded her duties as a job for life and would never abdicate.

Mrs Rhodes said: "She wouldn't consider not continuing to fulfil this vow until she dies."

Speaking on the Today programme on BBC Radio 4, she continued: "I think in a funny way, perhaps, the death of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother had quite a huge effect on the Queen.

"Not only of sadness, but in a way that she could come into her own as the head of the family and as the most senior royal lady."

She added: "I'm perfectly certain she will never retire as such. Because it's not like a normal job and to the Queen the vows that she made on Coronation Day are something so deep and so special that she wouldn't consider not continuing to fulfil those vows until she dies."

Mrs Rhodes also recalled how play with the Queen reflected her love of riding.

She said: "When they were very small it was mostly playing at being horses.

"We were circus horses, or riding ponies or anything you like but it involved a lot of neighing and cantering and galloping."

Jean Woodroffe, one of the Queen's first ladies in waiting, recalled how Princess Elizabeth had joined a conga line as part of Second World War victory celebrations in 1945 before joining the crowds outside Buckingham Palace.

She said: "What was amusing is that we went into the Ritz hotel through one door and out of the other door, the other end, doing the conga.

"And the extraordinary thing was that nobody seemed to take much notice. Then we stood outside Buckingham Palace with the crowd and we all shouted 'We want the King' with everybody else until the King and Queen came out on to the balcony."

Three days of birthday celebrations were launched yesterday when the Queen, who has reigned for nearly 53 years, hosted lunch for 99 people born on the same day as her.

The guests, who all had the birthday 21 April, 1926, were picked for the Buckingham Palace lunch by ballot in January.

The Scottish Parliament also officially recognised and marked the Queen's 80th birthday yesterday.

On the same day, however, Scottish Socialist Party MSPs called for the end of the monarchy and an independent Scotland.

West of Scotland MSP Frances Curran said: "It's ridiculous that our parliament is devoting half an hour of valuable legislative time to singing happy birthday to the Queen.

"Even her government doesn't yet want people to work until they're 80 and the best thing she could do is retire and pave the way for a fully democratic, independent Scotland where the head of state is not determined by privilege and wealth."

In contrast, Tory leader Annabel Goldie described the Queen as "an icon for selfless public service".

She also praised her "unwavering commitment to her sense of duty as a monarch".

Miss Goldie added: "I'm aware of the different views in this chamber about the monarchy, but you do not need to be a royalist to genuinely admire the capacity of this extraordinary woman."

An official photograph of the Queen taken by Lord Snowdon was released to mark her 80th birthday.

The head and shoulders picture shows the monarch dressed in an open-necked violet blouse with stiff collars and wearing pearls while smiling directly at the camera. Lord Snowdon is the ex-husband of the Queen's late sister, Princess Margaret.

Tomorrow the Queen will mark the occasion with a walkabout outside Windsor Castle. The route has been extended to three times its original length to accommodate the swelling numbers of expected wellwishers. Her eldest son and heir, Prince Charles, is hosting a private family dinner for her tomorrow evening.