Queen Elizabeth II

With all the attention going to the new prince, I thought I would take a moment to recognize, his great grandmother, a woman who I have been fascinated by and admired for many years: Her Majesty, the Queen Elizabeth.

My grandmother had two books in her collection that I spent hours pouring over. One was on the royal wedding of Elizabeth and Philip; the other was about her coronation. I don't remember all the facts and interesting details that I read, but I do remember wondering what she was thinking, what she would have been like if she hadn't been the queen, and for all the pomp and grandeur, who was the real woman. I have learned that many people wonder the same thing.

We were at my other grandmother's house the week of Diana's death and the aftermath of that. We had to go home before the funeral, but I remember seeing photos all over the newspaper. I remember the anti-monarchy talk during that time and was so sad because I couldn't imagine a world where England didn't have a queen or king. And I thought all the things being said about her were unkind. She and her family, like the rest of the world, were probably in shock and deserved a little respect and privacy, even if she was the queen.

If I remember correctly, my brother was in England shortly after one of the Jubilee's and brought back little trinkets and souvenirs from the events. I was a little jealous of him but thought that perhaps I would someday get to go to England too. (That has yet to happen, but there is still plenty of time.)

The more I learned about the queen, the more I respected her quiet, private, thoughtful way of dealing with life. She didn't choose this role, but it was placed upon her, and she has stepped up the task of facing criticism, speaking graciously, winning a nation's and world's respect even in light of her errors and occasional misjudgements.

Not only that, she has always been a beautiful woman with a wonderful smile. As she aged gracefully, her smile reminded me of my Great Aunt Clara.

So you can imagine my surprise when this post popped up on my facebook wall.

"Has anyone ever said you resemble the young Queen Elizabeth? I'm always seeing pictures of her on Pinterest and every time, I think of you!!"

I posted the picture as my profile picture and got lots of confirmation of the similarity, but I think the biggest surprise was when Eamon saw the picture and said "Mommy? Daddy? Mommy?" Since the similarity is not so obvious in most other pictures, I know why I have seen it before, but it still makes me laugh.