ロイヤル・ファミリーのインスタグラム(theroyalfamily) - 9月19日 02時00分

‘The highest of distinctions is service to others.’

These words, spoken by The Queen’s father King George VI, were to inform Her Majesty’s entire working life, even before she came to the Throne.

As Princess Elizabeth she played her own part in the war effort: addressing the children of the Commonwealth alongside her sister Princess Margaret on BBC’s Children’s Hour in 1940, thanking them for their courage and forbearance:

“We are trying to do all we can to help our gallant sailors, soldiers and airmen, and we are trying, too, to bear our own share of the danger and sadness of war.”

In 1945 she joined the Auxiliary Territorial Service, training as a mechanic and becoming the first female member of the Royal Family to join the Armed Services as a full-time active member.

Two years later, on her 21st birthday, she gave a speech broadcast from South Africa, in which she set out her intentions for her future reign, asking the people of the Commonwealth to join her in her resolution to rebuild after the ravages of the Second World War. Her Majesty’s commitment to the task was absolute, ‘We must give nothing less than the whole of ourselves,’ she said, “I declare before you all that my whole life whether it be long or short shall be devoted to your service.”

Her devotion to her work and her subjects was shown in its sheer volume: she presented 380,630 honours and awards; held 459 Investitures; gave Royal Assent to 3135 Acts of Parliament; undertook 251 official overseas visits to 128 different countries and gave 88 State Banquets during her reign.

The relentless pace of her work continued well into her later years - she still attended the State Opening of Parliament, supported by The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall, and attended almost every annual Cenotaph service.

Her Majesty regarded her public duties - particularly meeting and thanking others, and guiding her subjects in difficult times - as her way of serving others, ‘I want to show that the Crown is not merely an abstract symbol of our unity,’ she said, ‘but a personal and living bond between you and me.’

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