Elizabeth II’s reign, the longest in our monarchy’s long history, has covered a period in which British power slumped to middling proportions and British society underwent profound changes.
Her great achievement, however, has been to maintain her own stability and poise and therefore the dignity of her office through a time of social and ethical flux.
But — make no mistake — we are in the twilight of the second great Elizabethan age. Our monarchy is in transition and this moment is crucial.
