Her Majesty’s 70 years of service are an astonishing achievement

Today marks the 70th anniversary of the Queen’s accession. Her reign has been by any standards an astonishing personal achievement and richly deserved tributes will be paid to her throughout this Platinum Jubilee year.

What is perhaps most remarkable is that the affection and admiration she inspires, even among convinced republicans, has done nothing but grow; and that during 70 years of relative national decline and of vertiginous social and technological change.

How has she managed it? Her own steadfastness in times of crisis, particularly within her own family, careful reform of the way the institution of monarchy works, and her refusal to give interviews are all factors which underline her almost invariable good judgement.

Perhaps most important has been the way she has remained above the turmoil of politics. That does not mean that the monarchy is not political, but it does mean that it cannot be partisan. So, for instance, on a personal level, it is generally thought that the Queen got on with some of her Labour prime ministers at least as well as with her Tory ones. Equally, the continued existence of the Commonwealth must be principally thanks to the Queen’s passionate belief in it as an institution. That is in itself a political stance, not universally shared by the misguided.

The end of the Queen’s reign will inevitably raise questions about the future of the monarchy. Indeed, it is a debate already being much encouraged by republicans.

Republicans should be careful what they wish for.

They will have already been encouraged that series like The Crown and the questionable friendships and behaviour of some members of the Royal family invite the public to see the Windsors as a soap opera, rather than, literally, the crowning institution of the nation.

Just consider the alternatives: either an executive presidency a l’Americaine or a largely ceremonial office like Germany’s. In other words, the choice is an unattractive one. You either have a partisan politician trying to combine the job of embodying the whole nation with partisan politics (not easy, as the Americans and the French are finding) or you appoint as a figurehead an ex-minor politician in a crumpled suit. Neither option is conducive to stability in an unstable age.

Incidentally, contrary to popular opinion, either model of presidency would be no cheaper than our present monarchy, if other countries’ experience is any guide.

I remember being taken as a small boy to the lying in state of King George VI. The queues were enormous and grand ladies who had privileged access to Westminster Hall were wearing black veils. Many of them, including my mother, were in tears, despite this being the age of the stiff upper lip.

Many years later, I was the minister responsible for organising the commemorations for the 50th anniversary of VE Day and we hoped to fill the Mall with a crowd as big as the one that had cheered itself hoarse in 1945. Some, including a number of officials at Buckingham Palace, were doubtful as to whether that would be possible. 1995 was not the monarchy’s happiest year and perhaps enthusiasm would be muted.

We need not have worried. The police thought there were more people in the Mall that day than in 1945 and, old and young, black, white and brown, they were cheering as lustily as their parents and grandparents had 50 years before. The emotions sprang from the same well as those I had witnessed at George VI’s lying in state.

Homo sapiens is not entirely ruled by rationality, and emotions unchannelled can be dangerous. Cheering the monarch as the benign embodiment of the nation is much safer than cheering an eloquent political extremist.

When we have something to cheer or commemorate, we still gravitate to the Mall. As an ancient nation, we will have to continue to evolve and change if we are to succeed in this technologically driven age. The monarchy, surely, will have to evolve too, if it is to continue to serve us properly. What would be a serious error would be to abolish it, for in doing so we would be abolishing who we are by pulling up our roots, the very roots that give us our sense of nationhood.

Our next king well understands that as monarch he must remain above the political fray, just as his mother has. His achievements as Prince of Wales deserve to be better appreciated. They are remarkable and in many of his concerns he has been ahead of his time. He will be a fine king and certainly will not wear a crumpled suit. He will earn our loyalty in his own way, just as the Queen has in hers.

Meanwhile, we at Reaction pay tribute to Her Majesty’s 70 years of service to this country and to the Commonwealth. She has embodied the nation in testing times and deserves our admiration and gratitude. Long may she reign.

Robert Salisbury is Chairman of Reaction.