The Queen’s address to mark her 70th year on the throne gives us exactly what we would expect.
Elegant, heartfelt, warm. Clear and dignified. It is the address of a woman who has devoted her life to serving her country.
In this hour of celebration, her dedication to us shines through.
Her Majesty has endured a tumultuous few years: the pain of watching her family at odds with one another, the shame of Andrew, the loss of Philip.
But her mind is on what happens when she’s gone.
In her message, she clearly marks out Charles and Camilla as the nation’s protectors, with the responsibility to act as beacons for the country, and asks us to support them in their duty.
A mile away from Buckingham Palace, in Downing Street, the opposite of leadership is happening. You have to wonder what the Queen makes of the 14th Prime Minister to serve her.
The Worst
Boris Johnson must surely be the worst. The concept of duty, of service, is alien to him.
Hurling cheap, baseless insults, partying while people suffered, clinging to his job despite even his own allies telling him to go, he shows himself as unfit for office.
When politicians of every stripe are accusing the PM of debasing the role, the message is clear.
The Queen needs someone in her own image in No10. Someone to guide the country in a time of crisis. Mr Johnson is as far from that as it is possible to be.
If this were long ago, days when the monarch chose a court, she would have surrounded herself with statesmen. Mr Johnson would not get through the palace gates. We’re fine for jesters.
