Personality and image of Elizabeth II

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Wax figure at Madame Tussauds in Shanghai, China
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Some of the Queen's outfits on display at Hillsborough Castle in 2013
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Statue at Newmarket, Suffolk
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On the cover of Time, 1953

The image of Queen Elizabeth II has been generally favourable throughout the years. Conservative in dress, she is well known for her solid-colour overcoats and matching hats which allow her to be seen easily in a crowd.[1] She attends many cultural events as part of her public role. Her main leisure interests include horse racing, photography, and dogs, especially her Pembroke Welsh corgis.[2] Her views on political issues and other matters are largely subject to conjecture. She has never given a press interview and is otherwise not known to discuss her personal opinions publicly.

Personality

Margaret Rhodes speaking about her cousin Queen Elizabeth II, on BBC Radio 4 programme Desert Island Discs, 2012

Much of what is known about Elizabeth's personality and views has been compiled from impressions and descriptions by those whom she has met. Canadian politician Michael Ignatieff remarked in 2010, after a private audience with the Queen, how he was struck by her "wonderful sense of the absurd" and noted her "sense of humour, that sense of the absurd, that sense of comedy of life has survived 60 years of gruelling public life."[3] After a weekend at Balmoral Castle hosted by the Queen, Canadian Governor General Michaëlle Jean recounted witnessing a relaxed, informal home life: Elizabeth and her family preparing a meal together — including a salad dressing devised by the Queen — and doing the washing up afterwards.[4] Lady Pamela Hicks, a cousin of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, commented on Elizabeth's personality as "individualistic". Hicks's mother remembers back to when King George VI died. Elizabeth was in Kenya with her husband when she found out; "I’m so sorry, but we are going to have to go back to England," she recalled Elizabeth saying.[5]

Political views

She has not explicitly expressed her own political opinions in a public forum, and it is against convention to ask or reveal her views.

When The Times journalist Paul Routledge controversially asked the Queen for her opinions on the miners' strike of 1984–85, she replied that it was "all about one man", a reference to Arthur Scargill.[6]

In October 1995, the Queen was tricked into a hoax call by Montreal radio host Pierre Brassard impersonating Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chrétien. The Queen, who believed that she was speaking to Chrétien, said she supported Canadian unity, and would try to influence Quebec's referendum on proposals to break away from Canada.[7][8]

After the 2014 Scottish independence referendum, Prime Minister David Cameron stated that the Queen was pleased with the outcome.[9] She had arguably issued a public coded statement about the referendum by telling one woman outside Balmoral Kirk that she hoped people would think "very carefully" about the outcome. It emerged later that Cameron had specifically requested that she register her concern.[10]

The Queen favours action to mitigate the effects of climate change. She told the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference: "None of us will live forever. But we are doing this not for ourselves, but for our children and our children's children, and those who will follow in their footsteps".[11]

Public image

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The Queen surrounded by children in Queen Street Mall, Brisbane City, 1982

Opinion polls have regularly shown that Queen Elizabeth II has an excellent approval rating;[12] coinciding with her Diamond Jubilee, the Queen had an approval rate in the United Kingdom of 90% in 2012.[13] According to a YouGov poll in January 2014, the Queen was the most admired person in the United Kingdom with 18.74% of respondents reporting that she was the person they most admired, the highest percentage of all candidates.[14] Internationally she was the 17th most-admired person in the world.[15]

File:Belfast murals Ac.jpg
An Ulster loyalist mural in Belfast depicting the Queen

In 2002, the Queen was ranked 24th in the 100 Greatest Britons poll. In 1997, she and other members of the royal family were perceived in the tabloid press as cold and unfeeling when they did not participate in the public outpouring of grief at the death of Diana, Princess of Wales.[16] The Queen ignored precedent, opting to bow to Diana's coffin as it passed Buckingham Palace and also gave a live television broadcast paying tribute to Diana.[17]

Elizabeth's public image has noticeably softened in recent years; although she remains reserved in public, she has been seen laughing and smiling much more than in years past, and has shed tears during emotional occasions such as at Remembrance Day services.[18] Henry Ward described his 2016 portrait of the Queen as portraying "a queen of warmth but also of reserve."[19]

Personality in diplomacy matters

File:Queen Elizabeth II and President Ford 1976.jpg
United States President Gerald Ford and Queen Elizabeth II dance during the state dinner in honour of the Queen and Prince Philip at the White House, 17 July 1976

In matters of diplomacy, Elizabeth is known to be quite formal, and royal protocol is generally very strict. Though some of the traditional rules for dealing with the monarch have been relaxed during her reign (bowing is no longer required, for example, although it is still frequently performed), other forms of close personal interaction, such as touching, are discouraged by officials. At least six people are known to have broken this rule, the first being a woman named Alice Frazier, who hugged the Queen in 1991 when Elizabeth visited her residence in a government housing project in Washington, D.C. (accompanied by First Lady Barbara Bush and Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Jack Kemp).[20] [21] The second was Paul Keating, Prime Minister of Australia, when he was photographed with his arm around the Queen in 1992. The third was Canadian cyclist Louis Garneau, who did the same thing ten years later when posing for a photograph with the Queen at Rideau Hall (her official residence in Canada).[22] In 2009, the Queen initiated an affectionate gesture with First Lady Michelle Obama at a palace reception she attended with President Obama. The Queen rested her hand briefly at the small of the First Lady's back, a gesture that Mrs Obama returned. It was remarked at the time as unprecedented and described afterwards by a palace spokeswoman as "a mutual and spontaneous display of affection and appreciation between The Queen and Michelle Obama."[23]

The Queen's subtle use of signals to her staff in certain social situations has been described by journalist Hugo Vickers and others.[24] It is said that by twisting her wedding ring she signals that she is ready for the conversation or event to end forthwith.[25] Alternately, placing her handbag onto the table at dinner means that she wants the event to end within the next five minutes and by setting it on the floor she indicates that she is not enjoying the conversation and wants a lady-in-waiting to assist immediately.[26]

Media perception

Elizabeth has attended many cultural events as part of her public role. She has given an annual Christmas message to the Commonwealth every year, apart from 1969, since she became Queen. The Queen's first such message was aired on Christmas Day 1957.[27] In 2001, the Royal Christmas Message was webcast on the royal website for the first time and, in 2006, it was made available as a podcast. Her first appearance on live television was for an address to Canadians on 13 October 1957, Thanksgiving Day in Canada that year.[28] The Queen read her speech at Rideau Hall and it was aired by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.[29][30]

The Queen has never done a press interview. In 2018, she engaged in small talk with Alastair Bruce of Crionaich for the television documentary The Coronation.[31] In 2006, the Queen had been filmed having a conversation with the later-disgraced Australian artist and media personality Rolf Harris while he painted her portrait. It ventured little beyond talk of previous portraits of the Queen and royal art history in general, and the Queen's responses to Harris's overtures were notably crisp and monosyllabic. She had a more jovial on-camera exchange with the painter Andrew Festing while sitting for a portrait in the 1992 BBC documentary Elizabeth R, directed by Edward Mirzoeff on the 40th anniversary of her accession.

The BBC, along with RDF Media Group, became the target of Her Majesty's lawyers, Farrer & Co, after the broadcaster aired a documentary trailer for Monarchy: The Royal Family at Work (2007), which was edited in such a way as to make it appear as though the Queen had stormed out of a photo shoot with photographer Annie Leibovitz. The BBC had earlier apologised for the misrepresentation, which was fuelled by BBC1 controller Peter Fincham describing the Queen as "losing it a bit and walking out in a huff"; but, the Queen and Buckingham Palace were not satisfied with the results and pushed to sue for breach of contract.[32]

The Queen is the subject of "Her Majesty", featured on the Beatles' 1969 album Abbey Road; McCartney played the song at the Party at the Palace concert during the Elizabeth's golden jubilee in 2002. She is also mentioned in the song "Mean Mr. Mustard" (also featured on Abbey Road), and in the 1967 Lennon and McCartney song "Penny Lane". In 1977, The Sex Pistols issued "God Save the Queen", which became a controversial hit single, inspiring the punk rock movement with its lyrics suggesting "She ain't no human being", and there was "no future" and comparing England to a "fascist regime."[33] The Smiths released the song and album The Queen Is Dead in 1986. The Pet Shop Boys have a track called Dreaming of the Queen. The Queen is the subject of "Elizabeth My Dear", which appears on The Stone Roses' eponymous debut. She is referenced in the Travie McCoy song "Billionaire" where he sings that he wants to be "on the cover of Forbes magazine./ Smiling next to Oprah and the Queen."

The Queen plays detective in the Her Majesty Investigates series of mystery novels by C.C. Benison, which includes Death at Buckingham Palace, Death at Windsor Castle and Death at Sandringham House. The Queen is the subject of The Queen and I, and is a character in Queen Camilla, both books written by Sue Townsend. She is also a character in the book The Uncommon Reader, by Alan Bennett.

In 2006, she was portrayed by Helen Mirren in the Golden Globe- and Academy Award-nominated Stephen Frears film The Queen, a fictional account of the immediate events following the death of Diana, Princess of Wales. The film ended up as the most critically acclaimed film of 2006.[34] Mirren, who had been appointed into the Order of the British Empire in 2003, won the Oscar for her work in the film and, in her acceptance speech, she paid tribute to Queen Elizabeth II: "For 50 years and more, Elizabeth Windsor has maintained her dignity, her sense of duty and her hairstyle," she said.[35]

Private Eye, the British satirical magazine, has given the royal family working-class nicknames, as though they were characters in a soap opera.[36] Queen Elizabeth II's nickname is "Brenda".[36]

The Crown, a biographical story about the reign of the Queen by Netflix, was released globally on 4 November 2016.[37][38][39] It is based on an award-winning play, The Audience, and is a biopic drama television series, created and written by Peter Morgan and produced by Left Bank Pictures and Sony Pictures Television for Netflix.[40] The show received critical accolade and has won many awards, including that of Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series at the 70th Primetime Emmy Awards for Claire Foy.[41]

Critics

The Queen's Diamond Jubilee attracted some controversy after campaigner Peter Tatchell criticised the Queen for inviting "royal tyrants". At the time Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch had accused both the kings of Bahrain and Eswatini as well as certain members of the Saudi Arabian and Kuwaiti royal families of various human rights abuses.[42]

Fictional portrayals

Film

Elizabeth has been portrayed on screen by:

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Music video

  • "U Don't Know Me": The Queen is played by a look-alike and is seen drinking, fighting and fleeing police during a night out in Soho, London
  • "Ek Chumma": The Queen and members of the Royal Family are played by look-alikes and are seen singing and dancing with the main cast of Housefull 4
  • "That's the Way (I Like It)", by Clock; it features the Queen, the Palace Guards, Tony Blair and other individuals dancing with the band.

Television

On television, Elizabeth has been played by:

She has been portrayed on Saturday Night Live since 1977 by, among others, Fred Armisen, Mike Myers, and Kate McKinnon.[47] Jan Ravens was the voice for a latex puppet caricature of her in Spitting Image (1984–1996), and gave radio and television comedy impressions of her in Dead Ringers. Scott Thompson gave a recurring impression of Queen Elizabeth II on the Canadian sketch comedy show The Kids in the Hall in the early 1990s, as did Luba Goy on Royal Canadian Air Farce and Cathy Jones in This Hour Has 22 Minutes. Tracey Ullman's depiction of the Queen was among many roles she played on the television series Tracey Takes On.... The Simpsons portrayed the Queen during the episode "The Regina Monologues" (2003). She was also shown in the SpongeBob SquarePants TV movie Truth or Square. The Queen is also a supporting character in Peppa Pig and Mr. Bean: The Animated Series.

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The Queen depicted with Mr. Bean in Mr. Bean: The Animated Series.

Stage

Radio Show

In December 2012, as part of a radio show, a group of Australian radio jockies rang up the King Edward VII's Hospital, where Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge was staying. One jockey impersonated the Queen and the other impersonated prince Charles. One of the nurses who spoke to them, Jacintha Saldanha later committed suicide and there was a lot of criticism directed at the radio show. There were no charges laid against the radio jockies.

Novels and children's books

Elizabeth has played a role in the plots of fictional works, including mystery novels, satires, historical fiction, and children's books.

Novels

Novellas

Children's books

Documentaries and television series

Documentaries

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  • The Royal Wedding (Short documentary) (1947)
  • Royal Journey (Canada) (1951)
  • Royal Heritage (Short documentary) (1952)
  • A Queen is Crowned (1953)
  • Elizabeth is Queen (Short documentary) (1953)
  • Long To Reign Over Us (Short documentary) (1953)
  • Royal Destiny (Short documentary) (1953)
  • A Queen's World Tour (1954)
  • Royal New Zealand Journey (1954)
  • The Queen in Australia (Australia) (1954)
  • The Sceptre and the Mace (Canada) (Short documentary) (1957)
  • Life of a Queen (Short documentary) (1960)
  • The Royal Tour of India (1961)
  • Queen Elizabeth II in Pakistan (Short documentary) (1961)
  • The Queen Returns (Australia) (1963)
  • The Royal Tour of the Caribbean (1966)
  • Hello Elisabeth! (Finland) (1976)
  • Twenty Five Years (1977)
  • Queen Elizabeth II: 60 Glorious Years (1986)
  • The Royal Year (1987)
  • Tribute to Her Majesty (1987)
  • Queen Elizabeth II: The Power and Glory (1991)
  • From Princess to Queen: Elizabeth II - Childhood to Statehood (1996)
  • 50 Glorious Years - A Royal Celebration (1997)
  • Queen's Golden Jubilee 2002: Party at the Palace (2002)
  • The Queen: Behind the Mask (2007)
  • The Queen - A life in Film (2008)
  • The Story of Queen Elizabeth II (2011)
  • Die Queen - Elizabeth II. (Germany) (2012)
  • Elizabeth II - A Diamond Jubilee Celebration (2012)
  • Elizabeth II - Le Portrait (Canada) (2012)
  • Queen Elizabeth II: A Lifetime of Service (2012)
  • Queen Elizabeth II - Reign Supreme (2012)
  • The Queen's Diamond Decades (2012)
  • The Majestic Life of Queen Elizabeth II (2013)
  • The Queen at 90 (2016)
  • The Queen at War (USA) (2020)
  • Queen Elizabeth II: The Unlikely Queen (USA) (2021)
  • Elizabeth Windsor (2022)
  • Elizabeth and Margaret: Pride and Joy (2022)
  • Our Platinum Queen: 70 Years on the Throne (2022)
  • Queen Elizabeth II: Above All Else (2022)

TV film and series documentaries

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  • Royal Family (1969)
  • The Crown in New Zealand (1970)
  • Royal Heritage (1977)
  • Jubilee and Beyond (Australia) (1977)
  • Elizabeth - The First Thirty Years (1985)
  • Canada and the Monarchy (1992)
  • Elizabeth R: A Year in the Life of the Queen (1992)
  • Days of Majesty (1993)
  • The Windsors: A Royal Family PBS (USA) (1994)
  • Elizabeth: The Reluctant Monarch (1998)
  • Queen & Country BBC (2002)
  • The Jubilee Girl (2002)
  • The Queen: A Remarkable Life (2002)
  • The Royal Jewels (2002)
  • An Unforgettable Coronation BBC (2003)
  • The Queen's Castle (2005)
  • Ten Days that Made the Queen (2006)
  • The Girl Who Would Be Queen (2006)
  • The Queen at 80 (2006)
  • The Queen by Rolf (2006)
  • Königin - Ein Job fürs Leben: Queen Elisabeth II. (Germany) (2007)
  • Monarchy: The Royal Family at Work (2007)
  • The Queen's Wedding (2007)
  • The Queen's Coronation: Behind Palace Doors (2008)
  • The Queen's Palaces BBC (2011)
  • A Jubilee Tribute to the Queen by the Prince of Wales BBC (2012)
  • Elizabeth: Queen of Scots (2012)
  • Elizabeth: Queen, Wife, Mother (TV Movie documentary) (2012)
  • The Changing Face of the Queen (2012)
  • The Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II (TV Movie documentary) (2012)
  • The Diamond Queen (2012)
  • The Queen and Her Prime Ministers (2012)
  • The Queen (Arte) (France/Germany) (2012)
  • Our Queen ITV (2013)
  • In Their Own Words: Queen Elizabeth II PBS (USA) (2015)
  • The Queen's Big Night Out Channel 4 (2015)
  • The Queen's Longest Reign: Elizabeth and Victoria BBC (2015)
  • Cue The Queen: Celebrating the Christmas Speech BBC (2015)
  • Elizabeth at 90: A Family Portrait (TV Movie documentary) BBC (2016)
  • Our Queen at 90 ITV (2016)
  • A Very Royal Wedding ITV (2017)
  • Elizabeth & Philip: Love and Duty BBC One (2017)
  • Inside Windsor Castle Channel 5 (2017)
  • The Royal House of Windsor Channel 4 (2017)
  • The Coronation (2018)
  • Elizabeth Our Queen Channel 5 (2018)
  • The Queen - Her Commonwealth Story BBC (2018)
  • The Queen’s Green Planet ITV (2018)
  • Elizabeth II, 65 ans de règne et de secrets (France) (2018)
  • The Queen's Coronation in Colour ITV (2018)
  • The Story Of The Royals ABC (USA) (2018)
  • Queen of the World ITV (2018)
  • The Crown and Us: the story of the Royals in Australia ABC (Australia) (2019)
  • Paxman on the Queen’s Children Channel 5 (2019)
  • Inside the Crown: Secrets of the Royals ITV (2020)
  • Our Queen at War ITV (2020)
  • The Queen's Speeches: In Triumph & Tragedy Channel 5 (2020)
  • The Queen: Duty Before Family? Channel 5 (2020)
  • Elizabeth and Margaret: Love & Loyalty Channel 5 (2020)
  • The Queen & Charles: Mother and Son Channel 5 (2020)
  • Being The Queen National Geographic (USA) (2020)
  • The Queen and the Coup Channel 4 (2020)
  • My Years with The Queen - ITV (2021)
  • Elizabeth at 95: The Invincible Queen True Royalty TV (2021)
  • The Queen: 70 Glorious Years BBC (2022)
  • Elizabeth: A Portrait in Parts Amazon Prime (2022)
  • Elizabeth: The Unseen Queen (2022)

Image on currency

Canada was the first country to feature the Queen on their banknotes
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The Queen on an Australian one-dollar banknote

The image of Queen Elizabeth has appeared on the banknotes of at least 35 countries, making her the Guinness World Record holder for the "Most Currencies Featuring the Same Individual".[52] Her depictions on these currencies serve as a photo journal of sorts, as they span the range of Elizabeth's life, from youth onward.[53][54]

Patronage of charities

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Further information: List of organisations in the United Kingdom with a royal charter, List of Canadian organizations with royal patronage, and List of New Zealand organisations with royal patronage

The Queen is patron of more than 620 charities and organisations[2] including:

See also

References

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  14. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  21. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  22. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  23. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  24. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  25. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  26. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  27. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  28. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  29. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  30. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  31. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  32. ↑ Alderson, Andrew; Queen sends in lawyers over 'royal rage' film The Telegraph, 12 August 2007
  33. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  34. ↑ "The Queen" Reviews Archived 11 January 2018 at the Wayback Machine RottenTomatoes.com
  35. ↑ "Mirren 'too busy' to meet Queen" Archived 29 May 2011 at the Wayback Machine BBC News, 10 May 2007
  36. ↑ 36.0 36.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  37. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  38. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  39. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  40. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  41. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  42. ↑ The Queen's lunch for monarchs attracts controversy Archived 22 May 2012 at the Wayback Machine BBC 18 May 2012
  43. ↑ "Queens of the small screen" Archived 17 July 2018 at the Wayback Machine. The Independent, 27 November 2009.
  44. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  45. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  46. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  47. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  48. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  49. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  50. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  51. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  52. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  53. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  54. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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