There is symmetry and a line of extraordinary continuity between the first iconic image of the Queen at the beginning of her reign and the last one, in which, aged 96, she fulfilled her constitutional duty. In February 1952, a small but assured figure came down the steps, dressed in black, metaphorically claiming her kingdom. She was greeted by her first Prime Minister, Sir Winston Churchill, a man born in 1874. On 6th September, she received her 15th and last Prime Minister, Liz Truss, born in 1975, thus creating a span of over 100 years.
Were you to home in on any of the 70 years of this remarkable reign, you would get a similar image – a more or less unchanging Queen, carrying out her duties, serving this country and the Commonwealth, travelling to far ends of the world, talking to heads of state, comforting her people in times of distress from Aberfan to Grenfell Tower.
Her understanding of her role and
