This Sunday marks 70 years since Queen Elizabeth II acceded the throne upon the death of her father, King George VI.  Predictably, the Australian Republican Movement has marked the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee with another proposal for an Australian republic. The latest model – a hybrid direct election from up to 11 candidates selected via nominations from all levels of government – would likely pitch a future Australian President against a Prime Minister, politicising our Head of State. Even the standard bearers of Australian Republicanism Paul Keating and Malcolm Turnbull don’t see this model succeeding.

While our Westminster system of government isn’t perfect, it’s hard to see the ARM’s model rivalling the stability and strength the Queen has given us over the last 70 years. Since 1952, the Queen’s leadership has outlived that of 15 Australian prime ministers, and 14 British prime ministers. The Queen remains a popular and highly respected figure both in Australia and abroad.  According to a December 2021 YouGov poll she is the third most admired woman in the world (behind Michelle Obama and Angelina Jolie) and, despite the ARM’s best efforts, only 36% of respondents in a recent poll of Australians said they would support a republic (with 38% unsure).

This popularity ensures there is no prospect of another referendum while the Queen is alive. Republicans wouldn’t dare. Of course, when Charles becomes King that may be another matter.

What is it about the Queen that commands such respect? Stability is one thing – that’s a given in some respects, she’s not elected. But it’s worth reflecting that the popularity of republicanism in Australia has never matched the ambitions of its advocates. This is down to the Queen whose absolute commitment to the Crown makes her unrivalled among our leaders.  She sees her job as incredibly important to the stability of the 15 countries over which she reigns. The institution of the monarchy gives those societies a stability that a directly elected presidential system cannot.

For the monarchy to survive, the way the Queen conducts herself is vital to its survival. Whatever the Queen’s private tribulations (and there have been a few), she has put her commitment to the Crown above them. It can’t have been easy to strip her son Prince Andrew and grandson Prince Harry of their titles, or due to Covid restrictions to sit alone in St George’s Chapel mourning the death of her husband of 73 years while the revellers at Downing Street partied hard.

The Queen’s commitment to her subjects followed the extraordinary example set by her parents during World War II. Unlike many British aristocrats, King George VI and his wife Queen Elizabeth stayed in London during the Blitz, visiting bombed civilians and injured members of the armed services.  When Buckingham Palace was bombed, the Queen Mother said that she was glad that it had been bombed because she wanted to look the East End in the face.

The Queen’s sense of duty was evident even before she acceded the throne. Despite her father’s serious illness, she and her husband proceeded with a long tour with plans to visit Australia. The visit was cut short in Kenya when she received the news of her father’s death.

In Australia, Federal MPs were gathered in Canberra for an unusually early February sitting of the Federal Parliament as the External Affairs Minister Richard Casey was attempting to hurry through the passage of the Pacific Pact (or ANZUS treaty) and the Japanese Peace Treaty before the Royal tour began.

Word first arrived that the King had died via the Press Gallery. Prime Minister Robert Menzies was interrupted while chairing a Cabinet Meeting to be given the news. Casey was in the middle of his second reading speech for the passage of the Japanese Peace Treaty oblivious to the reason why the press Gallery was filling up in anticipation of an announcement. Once Casey had finished, Menzies adjourned proceedings in the House of Representatives to await official confirmation of the news. Minutes later the Australian High Commission in London confirmed the King’s death and Menzies stood on the floor of Parliament to announce officially and with some emotion the death of the King.

The apogee of the Queen’s popularity was surely the occasion of her first Royal Visit in 1954. The 27-year-old Queen spent 58 days travelling around Australia, visiting 57 towns in total. Over a million people turned out to watch her arrival at Farm Cove in Sydney on 3 February, out of a population of 1.8 million.  By the end of the visit, 75% of Australians had seen the Queen at least once during the tour. It was a visit to rival any Beatles mania.

Reflecting on the importance of the monarchy at the time, Menzies observed that the “profound and passionate feelings of loyalty and devotion” to the Queen amongst Australians were “the very cement of the whole social structure”.  Popular monarchism may have come down a notch since then, but the Queen remains a highly respected leader and a powerful symbol of stability in a world where that is sadly rare and much-needed.

By Georgina Downer

Originally published in The Australian, 4 February 2022