A life of service and leadership

BY ESTHER KUKU

is a journalist and communications director Twitter: @Mew36

Leadership is a choice, a decision - not a rank. Some people are authorities, but they are not leaders. People may do what they say, but they do not follow them.

Leadership is a lifelong commitment to dedication and service. Her Majesty Queen

Elizabeth II will forever be the epitome of all that it means to lead, serving her country for 70 years.

The Queen was born Elizabeth Alexandra

Mary Windsor, in Mayfair, London, on 21 April 1926. Few could have foreseen she would become monarch but, in December 1936, her uncle, King Edward VIII, abdicated the throne to marry the twice-divorced American,

Wallis Simpson.

Elizabeth’s father became King George

VI and, at age 10, Lilibet (as she was known in the family) became heir to the throne.

Princess Elizabeth was in Kenya in 1952, representing the ailing King, when Philip broke the news that her father had died. She immediately returned to London as the new Queen.

Elizabeth was crowned at Westminster Abbey on 2 June 1953, aged 27. She then embarked upon a life devoted to service. This is true leadership: the selfless grace and humility through which she promised to serve her people.

She steered the monarchy through turbulent times, weathering the barrage of public opinion and discourse following the divorces of three of her children; the death of Diana, Princess of Wales in 1997, and much more. She remained calm and steadfast.

In many ways she led a dysfunctional family, with the highs and lows that any modern-day family might endure. Yet she remained a symbol of stability.

A devout, church-going Christian, she was a woman of unshakeable faith and took her position as Head of the Church of England incredibly seriously.

Her tenure as head of state spanned post-war austerity; the transition from empire to Commonwealth; the end of the Cold War, and the UK’s entry into and withdrawal from the European Union. Her reign spanned 15 Prime Ministers, from Winston Churchill to Liz Truss.

The death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II is a moment of deep reflection for us to think about our values; our own personal commitment to service and caring for others. And a time for us to lead in a manner that demonstrates care, faithfulness and kindness to others.

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