She never stops changing

The older the Queen gets, the more she changes

Robert Hardman

05 December 2007

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Hailing the talent of Elizabeth II for dignified adaptation

In a fortnight the Queen will set a remarkable record. On 21 December, she will overtake Queen Victoria (81 years and 243 days) to become the oldest British monarch in history. Do not expect any fanfares, not from royal quarters at any rate. The Queen will be at Sandringham and there will be no official recognition of this milestone. As far as she is concerned, last month’s Diamond Wedding anniversary was quite enough celebration for one year. In any case, she is not one for getting competitive with the ancestors.

But the rest of us are entitled to ruminate on this achievement. Of Britain’s three octogenarian monarchs, the other two — Victoria and George III — were barely capable of standing up. Since her 80th birthday, the Queen has undertaken some 500 official engagements and made five state visits overseas, most recently to Uganda. Some might seek to put her stamina down to genes and modern medicine. But her achievement goes far beyond mere longevity. At an age when all of her contemporaries have long since retired, she has, very quietly, been something of a royal rebel.

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