The Jubilee weekend marked a milestone which many have regarded as a bit of time off work, an excuse for a party and a celebration of your being titular head of state for thirty or forty-odd countries for 6 decades. Indeed it is all these things, and why not, well deserved in every case.
It is of course, much more than that. It is a question of epochs - you represent a bygone age, a direct link with a past which most of us in this country either never knew, or at least didn't benefit from. You came to power as the British Empire was starting to be dismantled, but had every right to govern a realm which had been built up over centuries but was ultimately exhausted after WWII and the other seismic democratic changes which impacted the dependent territories.
I am writing this note because I wish to be on record that while I regard the Royal Family as an anachronism (as indeed must anyone), I am proud to live in a country which upholds the monarchy, and more importantly, I am intellectually pleased to originate from a place which recognises that tradition is incredibly hard to attain, while surprisingly easy to squander.
I am no historian, but neither am I ignorant or ill-educated. It seems to me that you have been an utterly exemplary monarch for the 60 years of your reign, and been unflappable through the nuclear age, rock n' roll, Suez, free love, Vietnam, Korea, punk, Falkands, mobile phones, Internet, Iraq, Afghanistan and endless other cultural shifts in-between. No-one on Earth could do other than congratulate you on having done the best job possible - although I can think of no-one besides a Pope, perhaps an Archbishop or King Bhumibol of Thailand who actually possesses the credentials to make such praise in any way meaningful.
What makes this milestone so emotive is the consideration of what comes after. Whatever follows will lack the conviction of longevity. The available options also do not have your same stoicism, charm and grace. I fear what could happen if the argument of pure logic prevails - where the monarchy is dismantled on purely pragmatic grounds, and we find ourselves in a country where the binding force for the UK (currently being strained by the desire for Scotland to be independent) is weakened, the colour of life (we would have much less to differentiate us from a similar minor global power) is diminished and even the defining support for many of our institutions (what purpose Sirs, Lords, Royal Societies, Worshipful Companies etc when there is no monarch?) is eroded. This argument will become much easier to make at some point, hopefully some years away. I sincerely hope the Royal Family persevere in making the case for its continuation an easy one to accept.
I am sure you have concerns about the future of both your family and your state. Let us hope that we all pull together and do not go gentle into the good night. Long live the Queen.
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