A Bible-loving Queen

The Platinum Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II’s reign provided BBC Radio and Television with a feast of remote yet still celebratory words and music.

ABC’s Good Morning America (with Amy Robach and P.J. Holmes) devoted many hours of unpolitical and seemingly envious coverage to the parades and a spectacular fly-past in 70 formation, which became an affecting experience for millions of viewers in hundreds of countries.

The role of the monarchy in modern life seldom raised its controversial chest of medals, and people who stood for hours outside Buckingham Palace for a peek at their queen clapped their hands till they hurt. They cherished personal memories that gleamed in the unexpected June sunshine.

As you might expect, my recollections carried a radio and television flavor, with the soul-stirring throb of the Abbey organ and the pure voices of dozens of young choristers soaring above.

I recalled what I felt was the privilege—my word—of announcing the queen’s Christmas Day message to BBC radio listeners throughout the world. I had done this for her father, King George VI, and seven times in a row it fell to me to introduce Queen Elizabeth to the British Commonwealth and Empire.

I had seen her close-up in 1947 (when armed security vehicles hadn’t yet been invented) and she, a young princess, rode with her parents within touching distance of our home on Burger Street, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa. 

I also recalled vividly the broadcast of her 21st birthday speech from Cape Town: “I declare before you all that my whole life whether it be long or short shall be devoted to your service.”

Later, one of the features of her Christmas messages was her inclusion of Bible passages she had learned as a child and which British journalist Dudley Delffs mentioned in a Bible Gateway interview related to his book The Faith of Queen Elizabeth: The  Poise, Grace, and Quiet Strength Behind the Crown (Zondervan, 2019).

Delffs points out that Elizabeth was brought up in a Christian environment. Her parents made sure she and her sister, Margaret, attended weekly church services and read the Bible. They said bedtime prayers, and memorized favorite passages, often from the Psalms.

Her parents helped her appreciate the universal bonds all people share, and the need to serve others with humility and respect, particularly those in need.

In anticipation of her coronation, Elizabeth asked that people pray that God would give her wisdom and strength to carry out the solemn promises she would be making to serve Him and her people all the days of her life.

As she had explained in an earlier address to a worldwide audience: “Billions of people now follow Christ’s teaching, and find in him the guiding light for their lives. I am one of them, because Christ’s example helps me see the value in doing small things with great love—whoever does them, and whatever they themselves believe.”

I think the Queen has done well, especially through the spiritual leadership I have been privileged to observe and admire, if remotely, during her reign.