There is a work of art that now hangs at Gatwick Airport, comprised of two portraits, side by side, of Her Majesty the Queen. One represents her at the time of her coronation, the other at the time of her Diamond Jubilee.
What is special about these portraits is that they are made up of a collage of 5,000 smaller photos of average people from all over the United Kingdom. It is called The People’s Monarch.
I have always been moved by these portraits because they creatively express the most important aspect of monarchy. As is eloquently put by political scientist and historian Professor Vernon Bogdanor: “The Queen represents the nation to itself; she is the soul of the country.”
Humanity has wrestled with monarchy for thousands of years. The Torah tells of God’s reluctance to agree to the demands for a king over Israel. But the people insist (I Samuel 8:5): “Set over us a king to rule us, like all the nations!” God acquiesces and orders the prophet Samuel to anoint Saul son of Kish, as the first King of Israel. But not without caveat and caution: “Your best fields and vineyards and your olive trees he will take and give to his servants. And your seed crops and your vineyards he will tithe and give to his eunuchs and to his servants. And your…cattle and your donkeys he will take and use for his tasks. Your flocks he will tithe, and as for you, you will become his slaves…”(ibid. 15-17).
In these verses the prophet warns that putting too much power into one person’s hands and relinquishing their civil liberties will bring them more trial than triumph.
Still, the concept of monarchy is not anathema to Torah ideals. Torah does afford room for a sovereign. But it is not power and might that are the hallmarks of reign, rather, “[the monarch’s] heart must never rise above his brethren” (Deut., 17:20). In essence, the greatest role of a monarch is to be the trustee of the people’s unified and harmonious majesty; to be the repository of its national memory and identity.
Winston Churchill believed that constitutional monarchy was the greatest form of government. In this system the power of law resides in the democratic voice of the people, while their identity, majesty and memory rests in the steady and stable institution of the monarchy. He wrote that the British monarchy “has no interests divergent from those of the British people”.
With that stability comes memory and perspective that is unmatched. There is a special wisdom that the Queen has accumulated in the course of her dealings with many ministers and crises that makes her counsel absolutely unique and valuable.
She is known for her memory. As Lord Hurd, Foreign Secretary from 1989 to 1995, said: “She remembers things, she remembers people; she’s got a very good memory... she does recall little things that happened ages ago. That gives her strength, I think. This is not some sudden event, this is the continuing of something that has gone on over the centuries…”
The Queen has held this mantle for her United Kingdom for 70 years. She has, through changing governments and ministers, norms, and world-orders, always been there consistently and faithfully. She has been our brightly shining North Star as we’ve navigated amidst the world’s turning tides. Ever since, as a young woman of 21, she promised that “my whole life whether it be long or short shall be devoted to your service”, our national spirit was treasured in her faithful and unwavering hands.
Her Majesty has indeed been the People’s Monarch. She has dedicated her personal life — even amidst her own considerable challenges and trials — to being what the country needed. She has been that symbol, that mainstay, that repository of national memory and identity without fail. And she has done it with unwavering grace, honour, and humility. It is an unequaled privilege to celebrate her Platinum Jubilee. God save the Queen.
Joseph Dweck is the senior rabbi of the S&P Sephardi Community
