Teneisha Johnson
Elizabeth II, 2007.Chris Jackson/Getty Images
The Queen's Birthday in the Cayman Islands
Queen Elizabeth II was born Princess Elizabeth Alexandra Mary on April 21, 1926, in London, to Prince Albert, Duke of York (later known as King George VI), and Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon.
She married Philip Mountbatten, Duke of Edinburgh, in 1947, became queen on February 6, 1952, and was crowned on June 2, 1953.
She officially became Elizabeth II, by the Grace of God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of her other realms and territories Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith.
She is the mother of Prince Charles, heir to the throne, as well as the grandmother of princes William and Harry. As the longest-serving monarch in British history, she has tried to make her reign more modern and sensitive to a changing public while maintaining traditions associated with the crown.
History states that at the time of her accession to the throne as Queen Elizabeth II, the public did not know anything about the human being behind the royal façade-and could not, due to the tradition of maintaining the Monarch and the Monarchy apart from all others.
Only her Family and Palace courtiers, as well as a select group of dear friends, were aware of all the wonderful qualities of the young woman who was now Queen.
Even though her official birthday is on 21st April 1926, within the Cayman Islands the Queen’s birthday is a holiday and is usually celebrated on the Monday after the Saturday in June that is designated as the official holiday observance in the United Kingdom.
Generally, it is the second Saturday in June every year. This year it will be on the 11th June 2018.
To celebrate the day there will be a parade in the capital, George Town, followed by a garden reception.
Like the UK, the June birthday of the Queen is a time to give out birthday honors to those who have made a notable contribution to the Cayman Islands.
According to my latest research, In Queen Elizabeth’s address to the opening session of the 1999 biennial Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting (CHOGM), held on November 12 in Durban, South Africa, she recalled that “it was in Kenya that word reached me of the death of my father, and the responsibilities I then assumed as Queen and as Head of the Commonwealth in 1952.”
In the summer of 1952, she moved into Buckingham Palace where she undertook the routine duties of the sovereign and carried out her first state opening of Parliament on November 4, 1952. Her coronation was held at Westminster Abbey the following year on June 2, 1953.
Beginning in November 1953 the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh made a six-month round-the-world tour of the Commonwealth, which included the first visit to Australia and New Zealand by a reigning British monarch.
In 1957, after state visits to various European nations, she and the Duke visited Canada and the United States.
In 1961 she made the first royal British tour of the Indian subcontinent in 50 years, and she was also the first reigning British Monarch to visit South America (in 1968) and the Persian Gulf countries (in 1979).
During her “Silver Jubilee” in 1977, she presided at a London banquet attended by the leaders of the 36 members of the Commonwealth, traveled all over Britain and Northern Ireland, and toured overseas in the South Pacific and Australia, in Canada, and in the Caribbean.
The Queen’s public persona has been described vividly in The Monarchy, An Oral Biography of Elizabeth II by Deborah Hart Strober and Gerald S. Strober, by many who have had the privilege of working with her or the honor of meeting her.
Bishop Michael Mann has been reported as saying that she has the sincere belief that she is consecrated to her post.
While Bryan Forbes has said she is a rather beautiful woman with a translucent sort of, almost porcelain, wonderful skin, and wonderful eyes. As a young girl, when she was crowned, she was exceedingly beautiful.
Sir Edward Dillion Lott du Cann, KBE, PC, minister of state, Board of Trade, 1963-64; former chairman, and part of the Conservative Party stated passionately that she is a performer who knows her role, has great experience in it, and realizes that she must perform.
I rather liked that statement as I felt it represented my previous article very well called Performances of Understanding which deals with real life events and theories.
The Queen has become increasingly aware of the modern role of the Monarchy, allowing, for example, the televising of the royal family’s domestic life in 1970 and condoning the formal dissolution of her sister’s marriage in 1978.
In the 1990s, however, the royal family faced a number of challenges. In 1992, Prince Charles and his wife, Diana, Princess of Wales, separated, as did Prince Andrew and his wife, Sarah, Duchess of York.
Unfortunately, Princess Anne also divorced, and a fire gutted the royal residence of Windsor Castle.
According to Britannica.com, In 2002 Elizabeth celebrated her 50th year on the throne. As part of her “Golden Jubilee,” events were held throughout the Commonwealth, including several days of festivities in London.
In April 2011 Elizabeth led the family in celebrating the wedding of Prince William of Wales-the elder son of Charles and Diana to Catherine Middleton.
The following month of May, she surpassed George III to become the second longest-reigning monarch in British history, behind Queen Victoria.
Also, in May, Elizabeth made a historic trip to Ireland, becoming both the first British monarch to visit the Irish republic and the first to set foot in Ireland since 1911.
In 2012 Elizabeth celebrated her “Diamond Jubilee,” marking 60 years on the throne. On September 9, 2015, she then surpassed Queen Victoria’s record reign of 63 years and 216 days.
Elizabeth II (right) and Catherine, duchess of Cambridge, visiting Leicester, England, at the start of the queen's Diamond Jubilee tour of the United Kingdom, 2012.Andy Rain—EPA/Landov
The institution of the monarchy has surely been affected by sweeping changes in Britain over the past half- century, including successive waves of immigration; leveling of the social and economic playing fields; the declining influence of the established Church; progress in human rights-particularly women, racial minorities, and homosexuals; the waning regard for established institutions; the end of the Cold War and the Technological Revolution.
Elizabeth, the Queen however, is known to favor simplicity in court life and is also known to take a serious and informed interest in government business, aside from the traditional and ceremonial duties.
Privately, she has become a keen horsewoman. She keeps racehorses and frequently attends races and is periodically seen visiting the Kentucky stud farms in the United States.
Her financial and property holdings have made her one of the world’s richest women.
