HM, Queen Elizabeth II: A Royal Reign to Remember

FOUR FACES OF HM, QUEEN ELIZABETH II: (left to right, top) HRH Princess Elizabeth, young Queen Elizabeth II & (bottom, left to right) Queen Elizabeth II in middle age & as an older woman. Collage: Photos from public domain archives.

By Scott Harrah

NEW YORK—Pro-Black, pro-LGBTQ+ and a feminist at heart—holding her own as the most powerful woman in modern times in a world dominated by male leaders—the late HM, Queen Elizabeth II, who died September 8, 2022  at age 96, was not the “symbol of colonialism and oppression” some have claimed she was. She was a strong woman and an unlikely feminist first and foremost who reigned for 70 years, starting out in 1952, back in the days when it was a so-called “man’s world.” Although she was Defender of the Faith of the Anglican Church of England and the Presbyterian Church of Scotland and Wales, she understood that she was head of state in many Commonwealth nations populated with people of color of different faiths. She respected Muslims and Hindus, particularly Pakistanis and Indians who left the Indian Subcontinent when colonial British India gained its independence in 1947 and many relocated to the British Isles. She formally acknowledged Muslim holidays like Ramadan and such Hindu celebrations as Diwali in the UK. She and other British Royals often wore green each year on St. Patrick’s Day in honor of the many Irish immigrants living in the UK. In 2011, Elizabeth II was the first British monarch to visit the Republic of Ireland in more than 100 years. Many Irish citizens were in tears seeing her visit the Emerald Isle because The Queen’s very presence was an olive branch to the Irish after centuries of hostilities and exploitation by the British.

During her 70-year reign, Queen Elizabeth II helped fight against racism and bigotry not only in the United Kingdom but also in the British Commonwealth. When the rest of the world placed sanctions on the racist white minority apartheid rulers in South Africa, The Queen stood her ground against then PM Margaret Thatcher and the Tories when Mrs. Thatcher refused to place sanctions on South Africa’s racist government and its apartheid policies. The Queen formed a lasting friendship with Black activist Nelson Mandela long before he became the leader of South Africa.

South African President Nelson Mandela in a formal state meeting with Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace in 2000. Nelson Mandela & the Queen became friends long before he was elected South Africa’s first Black president. Photo: Screenshot courtesy of the Associated Press.

“The Queen has been described in recent press reports as worried that Mrs. Thatcher’s firm opposition to sanctions threatened to break up the 49-nation Commonwealth. The Queen reportedly also believes that Mrs. Thatcher’s Conservative Party Government lacks compassion and should be more caring toward less privileged members of society, “ The Sunday Times said at the time.

Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II with South African President Nelson Mandela in Cape Town in 1995. Photo: Courtesy of The Royal Family Archives.

The Queen also was pro-LGBTQ+ and an unlikely feminist. She opened British Parliament in 2017 with a statement regarding LGBTQ+ & women’s rights. “My government will make further progress to tackle the gender pay gap and discrimination against people on the basis of their race, faith, gender, disability, or sexual orientation,” she said, according to Town & Country magazine.

The British LGBTQ+ media site Pink News reported this was the first time LGBTQ+ rights were mentioned by Her Majesty since 2003. Nineteen years ago, she vowed to “increase equality and social justice by bringing forward legislation on the registration of civil partnerships between same-sex couples.”

It took many years during her 70-year reign for LGBTQ+ rights to be established in the UK. “Private homosexual acts between men over the age of 21 were not decriminalized in England and Wales until 1967, 15 years after Elizabeth ascended to the throne. The same law was not changed in Scotland until 1980, and in Northern Ireland until 1982,” Town & Country said in a June 22, 2017 article.

(Right to left): The late Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh & Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II with a young actor & the horse backstage at the West End drama ‘War Horse’ in London circa 2009. Photo: Ellie Kurtz.

May Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, Rest In Peace. Hers is a royal reign to remember. She was a true icon and pioneer and there will never be another British monarch like her. StageZine pays tribute to the late Queen because she inspired many Broadway shows, from The Audience with Helen Mirren to King Charles III and many more, as well as Hollywood films like The Queen (about her initially cold, stoic reaction to Princess Diana’s death and how the monarchy almost collapsed as a result of a vociferous public outcry and bad press until she listened to PM Tony Blair and made a public speech on TV honoring Diana, followed by a lavish state funeral the next day). More than anything, however, she was a global phenomenon and will be missed by many.

HM, QUEEN ELIZABETH II: The monarch’s many looks throughout her 70-year reign. Photos: Public domain photos of The Queen from various sources.

Photo collages courtesy of various online sources. Screenshot of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II with Nelson Mandela in Cape Town in 1995 courtesy of The Royal Family Archives. Screenshot of South African President Nelson Mandela meeting the Queen at Buckingham Palace in 2000 courtesy of AP.

Reviews of Broadway shows inspired by the Queen & the British Royal Family

The Audience, starring Helen Mirren

Helen Mirren Reigns as Queen in ‘The Audience’

King Charles III, starring the late Tim Pigott-Smith

‘King Charles III’: Battle Royale

Diana, The Musical, starring Jeanna de Waal

‘Diana, The Musical’: Not a total Di-saster

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