In the autumn of 1928, Winston Churchill visited Balmoral Castle – the same one where the Queen spent her last days – and the young Elizabeth became the strongest impression from that visit. “Well, the character,” he wrote to his wife, “she has amazing authority for a two-year-old child and at the same time thoughtfulness.”
Churchill, of course, could not imagine at that moment how prophetic his words would turn out to be. It was all the more impossible to imagine that, more than 23 years later, the "wonderful child" would become a monarch, under which he, Churchill, would serve as prime minister. Of course, he hoped to someday reach the coveted position of head of government, but at that moment he could not have any confidence in this.
A year after this visit and the first acquaintance of Churchill with Elizabeth, the Conservative Party would lose the election, he himself would lose his place in government, fall into depression, become addicted to strong liquor and almost lose faith in his brilliant political future. This dark period of his life will last about three years. As for Elizabeth, she seemed destined for a modest future as a princess on the fringes of the royal family, quietly doing charity work and perhaps hoping to marry some seedy foreign prince or home-grown aristocrat. She shouldn't have thought about succeeding to the throne. After all, at that moment her grandfather, King George the Fifth, was on the throne (the one who looked like his cousin Nicholas II, like a twin brother). He had many children, including five sons.
Elizabeth was destined for the future of the princess on the periphery – to do charity work and, perhaps, marry a seedy prince
After the death of George, the throne was supposed to pass to the elder, which happened in 1936, he ascended the throne under the name Edward VIII. But even if something happened to him, his children would be next in line. Who would have imagined that in less than a year Edward would be forced to abdicate in order to marry a twice-divorced American woman. And therefore the king, quite unexpectedly for himself, will be the father of Elizabeth George VI, who never imagined himself a monarch and did not prepare for this role at all. (A magnificent film "The King's Speech" was made about his confusion and attempts to adapt to the responsibility that suddenly fell upon him). But even then, Elizabeth had no particular reason to foresee the royal future, many expected that George and his wife Elizabeth (also Elizabeth!) would have another child – a male, which would immediately make him the heir, because according to the law of that time (relatively recently repealed) the eldest daughter of the monarch could inherit the throne only if she had no brothers. And yet it happened – Britain was lucky.
Queen Elizabeth II more than justified the assessment given to her by Churchill at the age of two. She learned to handle wisely with the power she inherited by chance and remained in the history of Great Britain and the world a great, titanic figure – there is no one to even compare her among her contemporaries. But this would not have happened if, among her other talents, she did not have a rare ability to beautifully, elegantly and at first glance almost imperceptibly adapt to change and thereby help her country to change, while carefully preserving a sense of continuity of generations and loyalty to special British traditions, thus avoiding painful upheavals in the end.
When talking about the exceptionally high adaptability of Elizabeth II, they remember 2012, the opening of the London Olympics and a sensational video that humorously depicted the queen poisoning herself at the stadium along with James Bond played by Daniel Craig. Accompanied by two corgis, the Queen, along with Bond, approached the helicopter and they allegedly went on a flight over London, which ended with the monarch's stunt double parachuting into the arena. A few seconds later, the real queen, dressed in the same peach dress as her body double, appeared on the podium to rapturous applause. The royal family is said to have been amazed, and some of its members even shocked, that she had accepted such a role. After all, she has always been against flirting with the public and cheap populism.
But the Queen reasoned that the first Olympic Games of the 21st century in London were still something very special and required a unique way to remind hundreds of millions of television viewers around the world of the modern monarchy, and along with the English sense of humor. Then it turned out that the scriptwriters at first only hoped to get permission to use the image of the monarch and shoot at Buckingham Palace and were amazed when Elizabeth II said that she would like to star in the video in person and even asked to come up with a short line for her, which was done. True, nothing better than the phrase "Good evening, Mr Bond" could not be invented. It was, of course, a trick, but still it is only a small episode, because over the long decades one can find dozens of less spectacular, but much more significant examples of the complex evolution that the monarchy had to undergo in order not to turn into a meaningless anachronism.
The Queen, along with Bond and two Corgis, approached the helicopter and they allegedly flew over London.
70 years of continuous "country duty" – some say that these are seven different eras. Indeed, each decade was strikingly different from the previous one – for many, the head was spinning from the speed of change. Everything changed – political culture, the economy, interclass and interpersonal relations, stereotypes of behavior and mores. And perhaps the most difficult, painful change is the gradual transformation of the greatest empire in history into a modern, strong, but still not at all imperial state.
Let's start with the mechanisms of public administration. Long ago, monarchs in Britain reigned, not ruled. The last time the crowned head of state vetoed a law passed by Parliament in 1708, and since then – no, no! In the words of the famous constitutional historian Walter Baijot, the outlines of the republic gradually appeared in the robes of the monarchy. But the legendary Victoria still allowed herself sharp statements on the topics of current politics and sometimes influenced individual decisions and even lines in laws, usually achieving this not by decrees and decrees, but by persuasion, relying on the power of her authority. However, since the beginning of the 20th century, even such a cautious intervention in the government of the country has been considered unacceptable.
Nevertheless, today it seems absolutely incredible, as happened, say, in the 50s, and even in the 60s of the twentieth century, the appointment of new prime ministers. Nothing like the current sophisticated procedure: when, first, as a result of a vote in the parliamentary faction of the ruling party, two out of eight candidates remained, and then ordinary members of the party chose the winner, Liz Truss, by secret ballot. The last thing Elizabeth II managed to do was appoint her namesake as prime minister. But this procedure, although it is called “kissing hands” according to the age-old tradition, is actually accompanied only by a banal handshake. And in any case, it was a purely formal act, the queen did not have the right to vote in this decision, she could not influence the choice of the head of the executive branch in any way.
How different was it in 1957, when Anthony Eden resigned due to the Suez crisis and the queen had to somehow figure out who to appoint as prime minister instead of him. There was no mechanism for choosing a party leader. It was immediately explained to her that there were only two serious candidates: Richard Austin (Rob) Butler, considered "number two" after Eden, and Chancellor of the Exchequer Harold Macmillan. But the queen had to figure out which of the two had more authority. She instructed the head of the House of Lords, the Marquis of Salisbury, to conduct polls in the cabinet – and he soon reported that the overwhelming majority was for Macmillan. Accordingly, the queen appointed the latter prime minister. But in the country this decision caused surprise: apparently, the majority of MPs from the ruling party and public opinion in general were on the side of Butler, who was considered a strong politician and reformer. The Queen thought that the system that forced her to play too active a role in choosing the head of government was clearly outdated.
Macmillan tried to pose as a mentor to the young queen, interspersing edifying speeches with rude flattery. Elizabeth did not show that this made her laugh, but, apparently, she shared her impressions with members of the royal family, and the frequent visits of the prime minister became the subject of fun for the royals. After Macmillan's departure, household members sometimes came to dinner with the flamboyant premier's signature mustache stuck to his upper lip. The queen learned an even more serious lesson when it came time to choose a replacement for Macmillan himself. He resigned for health reasons, she visited him in the hospital and accepted this resignation right there – an unthinkable scene in modern times. Monarch, so to speak, with home delivery (well, or to a hospital bed).
After the departure of the prime minister, the household came to dinner with branded hanging mustaches stuck on the upper lip
There, Macmillan convinced the Queen that he should be succeeded as Prime Minister by none other than Foreign Secretary Earl Hume (who later renounced his title and seat in the House of Lords in order to be elected to the lower house, and since then has been called Alexander Douglas-Home ). Macmillan showed some calculations proving that this is the most authoritative conservative politician – these data then turned out to be not entirely reliable. But the queen believed what was said, followed the advice and was then unpleasantly surprised to see the sharply negative reaction of the political class to this appointment, which led to a split in the government and the party.
Both right and left newspapers were outraged. “It was the biggest political mistake of her life,” wrote historian Ben Pilmott. But the queen was able to learn from her mistakes and supported the reform of the political system, which meant that now the parties themselves had to organize the election of their leaders, and not shift the responsibility to the monarch. From then on, the queen automatically appointed as prime minister the one who led the largest faction in the House of Commons. And when Labor won the election in 1964, she appointed their leader, Harold Wilson, as Prime Minister with a light heart and without hesitation. Then it seemed to many that since the queen belongs to the highest aristocracy by origin and was historically close to the leaders of the conservatives, her relationship with the "chief socialist" would be very tense. But no, the queen did not demonstrate any antagonism and class prejudice, she quickly developed quite benevolent and constructive relations with Wilson. However, cynics will say that in the royal family, everyone outside of it was considered commoners: that the counts and marquises, that the petty bourgeois or workers.
Cynics will say that in the royal family, everyone was considered commoners – from counts and marquises, that petty bourgeois or workers
The queen did not allow any external open disagreement with the prime ministers. It was out of the question. But implicitly, of course, they existed and some information about them, no, no, but leaked to the surface. This mainly concerned the British Commonwealth, to which the queen treated with exceptional reverence and to which she devoted a lot of time and effort. Premiers, on the other hand, often regarded the Commonwealth as something of secondary importance, or even saw it as an annoying hindrance.
The most egregious case is the “rebellion” of the queen, who, according to an unspoken, but seemingly unshakable rule, always coordinated all her foreign visits with the government. And so, in 1973, Edward Heath's cabinet decided to cancel the Queen's visit to the Commonwealth summit in Ottawa – because of the harsh criticism that London was subjected to at that time for resuming the supply of weapons to South Africa. The queen ignored this ruling and went to the summit. She, however, had a legal "excuse". As head of state of Canada, she followed the advice of Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau. There were no public statements regarding the disagreements, moreover, Heath was disgraced and was eventually forced to join the work of the summit himself.
Supporting the solidarity point of view of the Commonwealth on the need for tough sanctions against the apartheid regime, Elizabeth disagreed with Margaret Thatcher on this issue. The Prime Minister had the last word anyway, but the Queen could not hide her displeasure. And this caused some tension in the relationship between the two great women, again carefully hidden from the general public.
And this epic began back in 1947, when young Lilibet (as she was called in the family) celebrated her 21st birthday in South Africa, where she came with her parents. On that day in April, the Princess recorded a radio address in Cape Town in which she solemnly swore: “I declare to you all that my whole life, whether long or short, will be devoted to serving you and serving the family of our great empire to which we all belong.” .
Now the mention of the word "empire" in a positive context is surprising and gives some reason to consider the Queen almost a racist and a supporter of colonial control. But this is only a matter of historical and linguistic context, this word should be translated into modern language in a completely different way: the queen swore her deep commitment to the idea of a “family” of nations, which was just supposed to replace the empire. In 1959, Elizabeth took an unusual step that seemed to go beyond the rigid boundaries of what is considered permissible for a constitutional monarch. She sent a telegram of congratulations to Macmillan, who delivered his famous "Winds of Change" speech while speaking in South Africa. The main message was the recognition of the need for a peaceful dismantling of the empire and the preservation of friendly relations, economic and cultural ties between the former colonies and the mother country. It is widely accepted that the Commonwealth was able to be born and function successfully for decades mainly due to the Queen's enormous personal popularity in all the member countries of the organization and her tireless care for them. As head of the Commonwealth, the Queen remained the nominal head of state in 17 overseas territories, including Canada and Australia, and a welcome guest to all, monarchies and republics alike.
The Queen remained the nominal head of state in 17 overseas territories, including Canada and Australia, and a welcome guest to all
When Elizabeth II considered it necessary, she used her colossal authority to secretly and non-publicly help resolve conflict situations. For example, she played a significant role in setting the stage for the peace talks that led to Zimbabwe's independence. In 2000, she persuaded Ghana's President Jerry Rawlings to step down at the end of his term, rather than "nullify" the constitution, which allowed only two presidential terms. The Queen regularly held individual audiences with the leaders of the Commonwealth countries, at which she demonstrated a deep knowledge of what was happening in their states. According to the Secretary General of the organization, Sonny Ramfal, the queen "knew who had what political scandal flared up." “She was aware of the family circumstances…. She knew about the economy, she knew about the upcoming elections … The leaders felt that they were talking to a friend who cared about the fate of their country, ”Ramfal recalled.
The fact that in the end the main and most difficult change in the fate of Great Britain – the transformation from an empire into a normal modern state – took place peacefully and in a civilized manner is a huge personal merit of the queen. She not only achieved the preservation of friendly ties and cooperation with the former colonies, but also set the tone for British public opinion, which survived the loss of imperial status with relative ease. Compare with what happened in neighboring France, where the loss of the colonies, primarily Algeria, was perceived by part of the population and the military establishment so painfully that it almost turned into coup attempts and almost a civil war in the metropolis itself.
Peaceful transformation from an empire into a normal modern state is a huge personal merit of the queen
But here, where Elizabeth II could never play a leading role, it is in changing ideas about public morality and morality. Although the fact that she did not resist these changes and was able to adapt to them in the end to adapt the royal family is also no small achievement.
The queen was brought up in a very strict puritanical spirit. Развод, например, считался несмываемым позорным пятном, провинившиеся подвергались остракизму и вычеркивались из списка потенциальных наследников престола и фактически изгонялись из семьи. Сама-то Елизавета была однолюбкой и оставалась всю жизнь верна и нежно привязана к принцу Филиппу, с которым познакомилась еще до войны и в которого влюбилась девчонкой. Печальной была история любви ее младшей сестры принцессы Маргарет. Бравый офицер-красавец, герой войны Питер Таунсенд появился в Букингемском дворце в 1944 году. Елизавета сказала сестре: «Эх, как жаль, что он женат». Но Маргарет это не остановило. В конце 1951 года Таунсенд развелся, у него было двое детей от распавшегося брака и год спустя он сделал принцессе предложение. Но по закону от 1772 года любой брак потенциального наследника престола требовал согласия королевы. А та, сколь это ни поразительно, должна была согласовывать решение с правительством. Вот так члены королевской семьи в условиях конституционной монархии и правового государства оказались лишены элементарного права на свободу личной жизни.
И кабинет во главе с Черчиллем принцессе отказал, при том, что сам премьер симпатизировал «бравому летчику» и лично считал его вполне подходящей для принцессы партией. (Важную роль сыграла позиция Англиканской церкви — она была категорически против браков членов королевской семьи с разведенными). Черчилль сообщил королеве, что и его кабинет, и премьер-министры доминионов (а требовалось и их согласие тоже) против заключения этого союза, и что парламент не одобрит брак, который не будет признан Англиканской церковью, если Маргарет не откажется от своих прав на престол. Она теоретически готова была это сделать, но и это оказалось не так просто и чревато большими юридическими и финансовыми осложнениями. Главным противником брака в королевской семье считался принц Филипп, в то время как мать и сестра Маргарет хотели, чтобы она была счастлива, но оказались бессильны ей помочь. В октябре 1955 года Маргарет сдалась и сделала официальное заявление, что отказывается от брака с Таунсендом. По ее собственному признанию, она была «полностью истощена и глубоко деморализована».
Необходимость следовать замшелым нормам и представлениям сыграла еще более роковую роль в истории жизни наследника престола принца Чарльза (ныне король Карл III). Он пошел в мать — тоже оказался однолюбом. И всегда мечтал соединить свою жизнь только с одним человеком — Камиллой Шанд (ныне королева-консорт), в которую влюбился еще в начале 70-х. Но в тот момент ему было всего двадцать с небольшим, считалось, что ему еще рано жениться, и принц, не отличавшийся решительностью и поддававшийся давлению внешней среды, не посмел пойти против воли семьи. Тогда Камилла вышла замуж за офицера Эндрю Паркер-Боулза и взяла его фамилию. Судя по всему, брак не был счастливым. Муж изменял ей, а она сама вскоре вступила в интимные отношения с Чарльзом, которые с перерывами продолжались на десятилетия. Конечно, принц хотел бы жениться на Камилле, и та готова была ради этого развестись. Но королевская семья и слышать не хотела о возможности брака наследника престола с разведенной женщиной. Ему подобрали «подходящую невесту» — наивную юную красавицу Диану и фактически заставили его жениться не ней. Искусственный брак сделал их обоих глубоко несчастными. Дальнейшая трагическая история хорошо известна, она закончилась скандалом, разводом и в конце концов гибелью Дианы.
Муж Камиллы изменял ей, а она сама вскоре вступила в интимные отношения с Чарльзом, которые продолжались несколько десятилетий
Думаю, что сама того не подозревая, и вовсе не ставя такую цель, Диана стала для августейшей семьи великим раздражителем, но в то же время катализатором, инструментом перемен. «С самого начала нас в семье было трое», — сказала Диана в одном из самых скандальных по своей откровенности интервью. От отчаяния Диана решилась на то, что невозможно было раньше даже себе представить — бросить вызов королевскому дворцу, объявить ему чуть ли не войну — психологическую и медийную. Тут-то и выяснилось, что Диана — одаренный, харизматический коммуникатор. Страна раскололась, и большая, или, по крайней мере, наиболее активная часть общественного мнения встала на ее сторону. Это был опаснейший для монархии момент, но бог в итоге, как всегда, сохранил и королеву, и династию. И в значительной мере благодаря мудрости и гибкости королевы, которая смогла постепенно примирить непримиримое, страсти постепенно улеглись. Благодаря популярности Елизаветы II общественное мнение в конце концов смирилось с возможностью женитьбы овдовевшего Чарльза на Камилле. Получается, что ценой своей жизни Диана невольно освободила и своего мужа, и всю королевскую семью от оков устаревших, замшелых правил и представлений.
После всех этих событий женитьба принца Гарри на разведенной американской актрисе Меган Маркл уже не показалась чем-то шокирующим. Правда, появление в королевской семье мулатки выявило наличие расистских настроений среди части британцев . И это при том, что сама королева всегда глубоко презирала любые проявления расизма, хотя и терпела неполиткорректные шуточки своего супруга, иногда не выбиравшего слова. Но это воспринималось как проявления его оригинального чувства юмора. Меган, правда, пришлась не ко двору – в буквальном и переносном смысле. Она, видимо, совсем не понимала, на что соглашалась, выходя замуж за принца, искусственная жизнь королевской семьи с ее строгим регламентом и правилами показалась ей невыносимой. Гарри встал на сторону жены и вместе с ней уехал в Северную Америку, отказавшись от официальных обязанностей. Королева, как всегда, выступила в роли арбитра и примирителя, но вернуть внука в лоно семьи не смогла. Вспоминая трагедии и своей сестры ,и своего сына, она наверняка считала случившееся не такой уж страшной бедой. Страна и монархия неузнаваемо изменились за 70 лет царствования Елизаветы II.
Появление в королевской семье мулатки выявило наличие расистских настроений среди части британцев
Эволюция в одежде — это, конечно, отельная тема. Со временем наряды королевы становились чуть менее консервативными, добавлялись яркие цвета. Миллионы любителей жанра с нетерпением ждали ее появления в очередной новинке. Многочисленные поклонники по всему миру считали ее образцом безупречного вкуса и элегантности.
Но что на протяжении всех этих десятилетий совершенно не менялось, так это преданность Елизаветы II идее общественного служения. С ранних лет она, будто по системе Станиславского, вжилась в труднейшую роль символа национального единства и цементирующего страну, преодолевающего разногласия искреннего оптимизма. Вжилась в эту роль настолько глубоко, что она стала ее натурой и сущностью. Незабываем эпизод 1981 года, когда во время парада Trooping the Colour семнадцатилетний подросток произвел шесть выстрелов в направлении королевы, восседавшей на ее любимой лошади. Как потом оказалось, патроны были холостыми, но откуда это было знать королеве и ее окружению? Однако ни один мускул не дрогнул на ее лице. И даже поднявшуюся на дыбы от выстрелов лошадь ей удалось довольно быстро успокоить.
В том же году новозеландский псих выстрелил в нее уже по-настоящему, из ружья. Но он стрелял через туалетное окно и промахнулся. Выходившая из машины в этот момент королева даже ухом не повела. Было наглядно показано: случись что, королева и умрет так же невозмутимо и достойно, как держала себя во всех ситуациях всю свою долгую жизнь. Пугаться не будет, да она этого просто не умеет — национальный символ не может проявлять унизительного страха, иначе он перестает быть символом. После этого исключительное хладнокровие, проявленное ею год спустя, когда психически неуравновешенный Майкл Фейган проник в ее спальню в Букингемском дворце, уже никого не должно было особенно удивлять. Они светски побеседовали и все. Королева даже проявила сочувствие по поводу неприятных обстоятельств его жизни.
Хладнокровие королевы, когда психически неуравновешенный Майкл Фейган проник в ее спальню, уже никого не удивляло
До последнего дня жизни Елизавета II держалась так же достойно и спокойно, хотя, наверное, подозревала, что жить ей осталось совсем немного. Дождалась, успела назначить нового, 15-го за свою жизнь, премьер-министра. Сумела подняться из постели и невозмутимо выполнила свой долг в очередной раз. На ногах она держалась с видимым трудом, кисть правой руки была сплошным темным синяком от бесчисленных внутривенных вливаний и капельниц. Но обаятельная, доброжелательная улыбка по-прежнему сияла на ее лице точно так же, как это было десятилетия назад. Что-то все же не меняется и не должно меняться в этой жизни.