Elizabeth II: a constant queen whose failings were rare

Queen Elizabeth was said to prefer to immerse herself in red-box correspondence rather than face family dramas. Photograph: AFP/Getty Images

Elizabeth II’s job as queen was imposed on her by an ancient constitution that required no qualification other than that she exist.

Having been appointed, and whatever her private thoughts, she performed her role over an extraordinarily long reign in near-faultless manner, leaving scant ammunition for personal attack from the fiercest opponents of hereditary principle.