The rituals of mourning the passing of Queen Elizabeth II are rooted in centuries-old traditions… A royal reminder of this family’s history spanning over a millennium.
Hugo Vickers, one of the foremost royal biographers, has met the Queen around forty times.
The correspondent Seth Doane observed, “There are photographs of you with the Queen all around us.”
“I do. I’m not exceptional in that, “Vickers answered. “If there is a photograph of you with the Queen, you are likely to have it on display.”
The British royal family’s tree dates back more than 11 centuries. Vickers observed, “The crown travels down the line, laterally, and vertically. However, it ultimately succeeds, doesn’t it?”
Doane inquired, “Is the British royal family related by blood to other royal families in Europe?”
Yes, virtually all of them.
Alfred the Great, who defeated the Vikings and was the great, great, great (repeat that 32 times!) grandfather of Queen Elizabeth II, was the first ruler of England. She is a member of the House of Windsor, which succeeded families such as York, Tudor, and Stuart.
Doane inquired, “What is a family-owned home?”
Vickers stated, “Typically, when a daughter marries, the male gives his name to the home.”
The “War of the Roses” set family factions against one another, and Henry VIII’s six wives included two who were divorced and two who were beheaded.
Doane remarked, “When one looks back, there were numerous shady elements.”
“Well, if you looked back at a large number of families, I’m sure you’d discover a great deal of scandalous information,” Vickers stated.
However, when one is royal, family politics becomes geopolitics. Vickers stated, “During the First World War, the Kaiser was a grandchild of Queen Victoria and fought on one side, while George V fought on the other.”
The House of Windsor was formerly known as the House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha until World War I, when King George V decided to give the family a more English-sounding name: Windsor, after the castle and its town.
Windsor Castle, according to Vickers, “runs through the fabric of British history”… much like the royal family that he so admires.
He stated, “There is a great thread of continuity.” “We’re quite fortunate to have a leader like the one we just lost. Which nation would not have desired to have our Queen as its leader?”
She was credited with stabilizing and modernizing the monarchy throughout her reign as queen. This is both an inheritance and a challenge for future sovereigns.