I had the privilege of being on the advisory council of the Platinum Jubilee Royal Windsor Horse Show. Her Majesty The Queen not only attended the event, but stayed right until the end when it finished at 10:30 pm. She has always been passionate about horses, and I saw firsthand how much she enjoyed and appreciated the whole occasion. Later in the week, she opened the new Crossrail Elizabeth Line. Our 96-year-old Monarch is an inspiration beyond words.
From my earliest memories, I have heard about The Queen from my parents; my father as a Captain was an ADC (Aide-De-Camp) to the first President of India, Rajendra Prasad. My parents married in Hyderabad while my father was serving as Aide-De-Camp, and their first marital home was the Presidential Palace, Rashtrapati Bhavan. My father had the privilege of meeting so many of the world figures of the day, including Martin Luther King Jr., but the highlight of his three-and-a-half year tenure as Aide-De-Camp to the President was being the senior Aide-De-Camp when Her Majesty The Queen visited India in 1961. The pictures of my father accompanying Her Majesty throughout the visit and of my parents formally meeting Her have been present in every house my father has been posted to in his army career, culminating as General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Central Indian Army.
I have been privileged and fortunate to have met Her Majesty on several occasions over the years, and each time it has been so memorable. It seems like just the other day, 10 years ago, when she came to Parliament to address the House of Lords and House of Commons in the 900 year-old Westminster Hall, on the occasion of Her Diamond Jubilee and of course virtually every year in the 16 years I have been a member in the House of Lords, she has sat on the Throne in the chamber of the House of Lords addressing both Houses of Parliament at the State Opening of Parliament reading out The Queen's Speech.
I have never seen Her Majesty falter or put a foot wrong. She is universally respected; not just in the UK but throughout the world. She has been a rock of stability for our country in Her 7-decade reign; a period that has seen so much turmoil, upheaval, and many many challenges globally. She is also a perfect example of service leadership, with Her primary objective being to serve Her subjects, and she has done this work relentlessly and tirelessly, constantly setting an example to us all. Over and above all this, The Queen has been the Head of the Commonwealth of 54 countries with a combined population of 2.5 billion citizens on every continent of this planet. And, as our National Anthem says, “Long to reign over us”, not only has Her Majesty done this for 7 decades, but done it so magnificently, we are all truly fortunate and we are truly grateful to Her Majesty The Queen. Many congratulations to Her Majesty The Queen on Her Platinum Jubilee.
