Dear Editor,

Queen Elizabeth II continues to reign as our head of state and queen of Jamaica.

Queen Elizabeth the second, by the grace of God of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of her other realms and territories Queen, head of the Commonwealth, defender of the Faith.

She is our sovereign and holds in her hand “royal prerogative”. Her reign has continued unbroken since 1962. She is the measuring rod of our laws and our court of final appeal. Her position is inherited and she has served us with distinction. Jamaica is but one of the jewels in her crown as she rules also the Commonwealth.

The mesmerising music of Rule Britannia could be one reason for the success of Queen Elizabeth II’s reign. The chorus is resounding, “… at Heaven’s Command…Rule, Britannia! Britannia, rule the waves: Britons never, never, never shall be slaves.” a chant supported by “guardian angels”.

Scriptural strength is key to success, “…tyrants fall, While thou shall flourish great and free, The dread and envy of them all”.

If we hold tightly to our British heritage we are ensured of freedom and a legacy of being princes and princesses in our own right.

“Thee haughty tyrants ne’er shall tame.

“All their attempts to bow thee down”

The Afro-American poet Gwendolyn Brooks, while never envying the wealth of others in affluent neighbourhoods, does raise the question of “inherited” power and wealth. In her poem Beverley Hills Chicago, she notes and not in an “evil” way.

“We do not want them to have less,

“But it is only natural that we should think we have not enough”

Nonetheless, to improve our lives, “perceived” or “real” suffering, injustice and “inequities” can only be extinguished by the work of our own hands. One can only achieve success by independent individually tailor-made measures.

There is still hope, if our best efforts fail, we can appeal to our Queen. Our prayers for our gracious Queen:

“Oh Lord our God arise,

Scatter our enemies,

And make them fall

Confound their politics

Frustrate their knavish tricks,

On Thee our hopes we fix

Oh save us all.

Thy choicest gifts in store

On her be pleased to pour;

Long may she reign;

May she defend our laws,

And ever give us cause

To sing with heart and voice”

Our monarch is bound by protocol to reply to her loyal subjects in writing, acknowledging the request with her polite signature and promise to effect immediate assistance.

Helen-Ann Elizabeth Wilkinson

helenannelizabethwilkinson@yahoo.co.uk