Doing One’s Duty

QUEEN ELIZABETH 2 – DOING ONE’S DUTY

A meme cartoon that has been going viral in the UK has the late Queen Elizabeth walking away, holding Paddington Bear’s hand. She says “I’ve done my duty.”

If one is reading the obituaries in the British papers today, this is the enduring theme – that the Queen was loved, above-all, for doing her duty.

This concept of doing one’s duty, is getting more and more alien in the modern world.

What does it actually mean?

It’s not merely doing a job. Or getting paid to finish a task. It is finishing a task that is required of one, whether one likes it or not, whether one is paid or not, whether one asks for it or not, or whether one is thanked for it or not.

Neither Queen Elizabeth II nor her father King George VI, were meant to be Monarchs when they were born. When Queen Elizabeth was born, her father was not the heir to the throne. Instead it was her father’s older brother, later King Edward VIII who was the heir. But King Edward VII abdicated barely a year into ascending the throne, to marry American divorcee Wallis Simpson. Elizabeth’s father, Albert of York, was suddenly King George VI.

As the reluctant King, George VI was suddenly thrust into leading the British in World War 2, struggling against his stammer. But he did his duty, refusing to leave London during the Blitz, and became the symbol of national resistance.

In 1952, George VI died. Princess Elizabeth was visiting Kenya and was suddenly Queen. She was barely 26. Even as heir, she said “I declare before you all that my whole life whether it be long or short shall be devoted to your service”.

She served for 70 years.

Skeptics might say that this was a woman born into privilege, and led a material life that many can only dream of. This is true. But remember that as a constitutional monarch, she had little to no political power, and she could have chosen to merely play a token role, just like many other constitutional monarchs. She could have chosen to lead a life of leisure.

But various Prime Ministers of the UK have commented that she read everything that was given to her as the ‘First Reader’, and knew all the details at their weekly meetings. Several times when the politicians could not decide who to lead the country, she stepped in, and could choose only because she worked hard to know the people, the politicians and the policies. She did her duty.

In our own lives, we all have roles and responsibilities. Not just jobs. We too have duties.

We have duties as sons and fathers, daughters and mothers. Brothers. Sisters. Friends. Lovers.

These may not be as regal as being a monarch but we all have our duties, whether we like them or not.

The Queen died on Thursday 8th of September 2022.

On Tuesday, less than 48 hours earlier, she met the outgoing Prime Minister Boris Johnson, and appointed the new Prime Minister Liz Truss.

The Queen must already have been feeling gravely sick, but the ceremony of ‘kissing hands’ could only be done in person.

So she got up, put on her clothes, went out, met her Prime Ministers, shook hands, smiled for the camera.

48 hours later, she passed away.

To the very last, Queen Elizabeth II did her duty.

May we all find our own duties, and do them like Her Majesty did.