The Queen’s 90th birthday

Long May She Reign Over Us!

During the past academic year, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, has reached two important milestones. By 5.30pm on Wednesday 9th September, she had reigned for 23,226 days, 16 hours and approximately 30 minutes - surpassing the reign of her great-great-grandmother, Queen Victoria. More recently, the Queen reached her 90th birthday and in doing so, has outlived Victoria by nine years and counting. Her Majesty’s long life can be attributed to a number of factors. For a start, the Queen can thank her beloved mother, Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, who lived until 101. Aside from good genes, the Queen has never smoked, (unlike many of her generation), she eats and drinks in moderation and has enjoyed a long and happy marriage to Prince Philip. According to New York University, a long and happy marriage can reduce the chance of cardiovascular disease by as much as 5%! Royal birthdays can be quite confusing events. The Queen actually celebrates two birthdays every year: her actual birthday on 21 April and her official birthday on a Saturday in June. Official celebrations to mark a sovereign’s birthday have often been held on a day other than the actual birthday, particularly when the actual birthday has not been in the summer. By the time this is published, the Queen will have hosted a street party for 10,000 people on the Mall - quite some ‘birthday party’. Many of the commentators writing about the Queen’s long life have considered the huge changes that have taken in British History since her birth on 21st April, 1926 in London. This was the year of the General Strike, when 1.7 million British workers withdrew their labour in solidarity with the coal industry. At the same time, the British Empire reached its zenith; in part this was due to the additional colonies ceded to Britain by Germany after the First World War, which had only ended seven and a half years earlier. Of course, the story of Elizabeth’s early life is well known. Her father Bertie (known as George VI) was thrust into the limelight as King in late 1936, when his brother Edward VIII opted for the love of the divorcée, Wallis Simpson. At that point, Princess Elizabeth became heir presumptive and ever since, she has been praised for her devotion to duty and stable presence, especially when there were other royals who found themselves subject to tabloid scrutiny. What does the future hold? Of course, we can expect to see Prince Charles and Prince William taking on more of the Queen’s duties in the coming years. Already Charles has represented his mother at a Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting and has attended the state opening of Parliament. However, we shouldn’t expect that Her Majesty will be ‘putting her feet up’ any time soon.

But what of Bolton School in this period? The death of Lord Leverhulme eleven months before the birth of Princess Elizabeth was, according to W. E. Brown, (biographer of the school and a former Head of History), an immense blow: “He had come to the rescue in every crisis, and fought the school’s battles with the authorities. To this end the pupils and parents felt his personal involvement, and his influence were irreplaceable. It would be hard to find a parallel to his position as a twentieth century patron.”

The executors of Leverhulme’s will were alarmed by his grand plans for the School buildings, nevertheless, the Lever trustees were determined to continue to build the school according to Leverhulme’s wishes. Thanks to a generous donation by the 2nd Viscount Leverhulme, the building work continued apace and the new Girls’ Division building was the first to open in 1928.

Mr. Owen

Head of History, Girls’ Division