Queen Elizabeth has had a rough year. Every season brought headlines of tragedy and embarrassment for the royal family. Despite everything, Elizabeth has kept calm and carried on. Let’s see how she did it.
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The Winfrey Interview
The royal family has enured a series of scandals, most of which are self-inflicted. If you cast your mind back to the winter of 2021, you should remember Prince Harry and Meghan Markle sitting down with Oprah Winfrey to discuss why they left their royal duties. Elizabeth came off well in the interview, but she largely stood alone. The interview caused an avalanche of stories, many centered around racism in the royal family.
Prince Andrew Continues To Embarrass
Prince Andrew, largely thought to be Elizabeth’s favorite child, is a disgrace to the family. His connection to Jeffrey Epstein has led to an American lawsuit. He’s now countersuing his accuser, claiming she’s actually a pimp. Andrew hasn’t exactly been too helpful in the investigation, and the pedophilia allegations haunt the family.
Death of Her Husband
Perhaps the most traumatic event for Elizabeth this year was the death of her beloved Prince Philip. He passed away not far from his 100th birthday. The ensuing media coverage received complaints exceeding 100,000. He had been her rock for 73 years, and it cannot be easy to live without him.
Nevertheless, She Persists
In spite of everything, lawsuits grief, and scrutiny, Elizabeth continues to serve the commonwealth with the grave we’ve come to expect. An insider tells People: “She keeps things a little separate between family and official issues because otherwise, it becomes overwhelming.”
A biographer adds, “fundamentally she puts things in a box and says ‘that can be dealt with on Thursday,’ for example.” Her strategy appears to be compartmentalization. She deals with issues as they come up and doesn’t allow them to overwhelm her. She’s not going anywhere either.
Despite some health scares at the end of the year, which spawned their own death-mongering stories, insiders think Elizabeth has a lot left in the tank. One says “her face is clear and cheerful and wide-eyed — this is not someone who life is getting down. Her phlegmatic nature and her shock absorbers are such that she can take the setbacks.” Elizabeth has relied on her faith as well to help her get through these trying times.
2022 will see Elizabeth celebrate her platinum jubilee, an international celebration of the 70th anniversary of her ascension to the throne. The UK gets the day off to celebrate. By all accounts, she’s determined to see that celebration.