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hat is there to say that hasn’t already Throughout it all, there was something W been said about the remarkable very comforting knowing that soon in reign of Queen Elizabeth II or, as she the George VI Memorial Chapel, a quiet is increasingly being called, Elizabeth corner of St. George’s Chapel, “We Four” the Faithful. One of Her Majesty’s great (the name George VI used for their closelegacies will be that amongst all the knit family) would now be reunited. Of extraordinary moments following her course, it was not “We Four + 1,” as The death, including the genuine outpouring of grief from across the Commonwealth, the Crown passed benignly to her son during a decade marked by considerable turmoil. The ease in which Charles III ascended the throne in this realm and across the Commonwealth was in no small part thanks to the high esteem and respect accorded to Her Majesty. What happens next rests on the shoulders of The King, a man well-suited and well-trained for what at HM Queen Elizabeth’s visit to Fort York in September 1984 (see times will be an unforgiving and viceregal fort at York” in F&D, October 2013). Photo by George responsibility in our 21st century. Queen’s beloved Philip, her strength and Many of us watched the funeral, stay, was reinterred beside her after their attended by an impressive Canadian brief time apart. delegation headed by the Governor The Crown is an institution that General, Prime Minister, and Indigenous casts a wide net over a history shared by leadership. Americans were quick to point millions of people that goes back more out on social media that while only the than a millennium. For Canada, it is the President and First Lady were invited (and bedrock of our democracy, including the not seated prominently at Westminster Treaties and other Crown-Indigenous Abbey), Canada’s invitees included former relationships that are meant to animate governors general, prime ministers and the life of this land. other prominent Canadians. It was a When it was feared in the last century reminder that there are consequences that Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau was for rebellion. minimizing the role of the Crown in The procession of Her Majesty’s Canada’s federation (the infamous Bill coffin from Westminster Abbey to the C-60), provincial premiers ensured it Wellington Arch was led, at her request, was entrenched during the negotiations by members from the Royal Canadian that led to the Constitution Act (1982). Mounted Police. The Mounties were Indeed, thanks to their efforts to protect followed, amongst other members of the the provincial sovereignty (which is Commonwealth forces, by representatives embodied by the provincial Crowns), our of sixteen regiments of the Canadian constitutional monarchy became the most Forces. For those present, both in-person protected in the Commonwealth. and virtually, it was a day that will not soon During the heady days of 1990, when be forgotten – one that truly turned a page Quebec’s future in the federation seemed on an age. Those poignant final moments to be unraveling before our eyes, The during the committal service at St George’s Queen declared, in person, on Canada Day: Chapel were especially moving.
“I am not just a fair-weather friend, and I am glad to be here at this sensitive time.” That address (in both French and English) to a crowd of 70,000 people underscored the Queen of Canada’s deep commitment to the country. Some may also recall when Pierre Brassard, a 29-year-old radio show host in Montreal impersonating Prime Minister Jean Chretien in 1995, was connected to The Queen, via telephone, at Buckingham Palace. Unaware she was being pranked with the intention of being made to look foolish, The Queen surprised Brassard by demonstrating her knowledge of recent events and commitment to the federation by immediately agreeing to help her prime minister in the face of the upcoming Quebec “The royal Independence Referendum. Rust D’Eye. This genuine concern for Canada was echoed by her son in his recent commitment, as King, to furthering reconciliation and renewing the CrownIndigenous relationships threaded into this continent (The Covenant Chain, which allowed for settlers to enter the Great Lakes Region was first established between the Haudenosaunee Confederacy and King Charles II, 1660-1685, and remains in place to this day). Indeed, The Queen (and Prince Philip) were involved in many important national and international events in the development of this country, including 23 Royal Tours since 1951. Elizabeth II opened the St. Lawrence Seaway (1959), proclaimed the new National Flag (1965), established the Order of Canada (1967) and Order of Military Merit (1972), proclaimed the Constitution Act and Charter of Rights and Freedoms (1982), rededicated the Canadian National Vimy Memorial (2007), unveiled the cornerstone of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights (2010), and created the third Canadian Chapel Royal at Massey College (2017). Whether it was marking the centenary
hat is there to say that hasn’t already Throughout it all, there was something W been said about the remarkable very comforting knowing that soon in reign of Queen Elizabeth II or, as she the George VI Memorial Chapel, a quiet is increasingly being called, Elizabeth corner of St. George’s Chapel, “We Four” the Faithful. One of Her Majesty’s great (the name George VI used for their closelegacies will be that amongst all the knit family) would now be reunited. Of extraordinary moments following her course, it was not “We Four + 1,” as The death, including the genuine outpouring of grief from across the Commonwealth, the Crown passed benignly to her son during a decade marked by considerable turmoil. The ease in which Charles III ascended the throne in this realm and across the Commonwealth was in no small part thanks to the high esteem and respect accorded to Her Majesty. What happens next rests on the shoulders of The King, a man well-suited and well-trained for what at HM Queen Elizabeth’s visit to Fort York in September 1984 (see times will be an unforgiving and viceregal fort at York” in F&D, October 2013). Photo by George responsibility in our 21st century. Queen’s beloved Philip, her strength and Many of us watched the funeral, stay, was reinterred beside her after their attended by an impressive Canadian brief time apart. delegation headed by the Governor The Crown is an institution that General, Prime Minister, and Indigenous casts a wide net over a history shared by leadership. Americans were quick to point millions of people that goes back more out on social media that while only the than a millennium. For Canada, it is the President and First Lady were invited (and bedrock of our democracy, including the not seated prominently at Westminster Treaties and other Crown-Indigenous Abbey), Canada’s invitees included former relationships that are meant to animate governors general, prime ministers and the life of this land. other prominent Canadians. It was a When it was feared in the last century reminder that there are consequences that Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau was for rebellion. minimizing the role of the Crown in The procession of Her Majesty’s Canada’s federation (the infamous Bill coffin from Westminster Abbey to the C-60), provincial premiers ensured it Wellington Arch was led, at her request, was entrenched during the negotiations by members from the Royal Canadian that led to the Constitution Act (1982). Mounted Police. The Mounties were Indeed, thanks to their efforts to protect followed, amongst other members of the the provincial sovereignty (which is Commonwealth forces, by representatives embodied by the provincial Crowns), our of sixteen regiments of the Canadian constitutional monarchy became the most Forces. For those present, both in-person protected in the Commonwealth. and virtually, it was a day that will not soon During the heady days of 1990, when be forgotten – one that truly turned a page Quebec’s future in the federation seemed on an age. Those poignant final moments to be unraveling before our eyes, The during the committal service at St George’s Queen declared, in person, on Canada Day: Chapel were especially moving.
anew The Queen’s words, quoting Vera Lynn and alluding to her own Christian faith, at the end of that historic address: “. . . we will be with our friends again; we will be with our families again; we will meet again.” Thank you Ma’am.
of Confederation (1967), opening and by the last official statement of her reign: attending the Montreal Olympic Games a message of condolence to the James (1976), or marking the centennials of Smith Cree Nation and people of Weldon, Manitoba (1970), Northwest Territories Saskatchewan, following the horrific (1970), British Columbia (1971), Prince attacks endured by those communities. Edward Island (1973), or Saskatchewan “Better days will return,” she assured the and Alberta (2005), Her Majesty was Commonwealth in her address during the there for moments of unity and celebration. dark days of the COVID-19 Pandemic. The Queen was also there to share in I’m sure many people, including the Royal moments of great sadness as demonstrated Family, took comfort as they contemplated
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