Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh* celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary today in one of those regal ceremonies in Westminster Cathedral, attended by a select number of 2000 guests.
There really was nothing wrong with the ceremony. Prince William, the future king, son of Diana and Charles, and the Queen’s grandson read the well-known biblical quote that God is Love, and all those who love belong to God. And the Archbishop of Canterbury (the counterpart in the Anglican Church to the Pope in Roman Catholicism), praised them for their strength of character and for being a public model of a successful marriage.
At which point I felt a cold chill of revulsion. I could not bear to appear in a public ceremony and have someone else tell me about my marriage and praise us for the strength of our mutual love.
Who has the right to stand outside a marriage and pronounce on its success or failure? who has the right to stand outside such an intimate relationship and judge the strength of its love?
Maybe some people find it confirming and they are glad for the public affirmation. I strongly suspect that the Queen did not. I know that I would flee in furious disgust. The Queen and her husband bore it with great dignity. I wouldn’t want to be a Queen.
*For those interested in such things, the wife of a king is a queen, but the husband of a queen is not automatically a king.
