In the spring of 1952, a young princess on a fabulous tour of the world with her husband demanded a much-needed break from official matters.
The couple took a two-hour drive from Nairobi to the now-famous Treetops Hotel, a tranquil game-viewing lodge. There, the princess spent her days unwinding and filming exotic animals with a hand-held camera.
On the evening of February 5th, the couple retired to their treetop rooms.
The shocking news of her father’s death was delivered to her on the 6th of February at dawn. Things were never the same for the 25-year-old princess thereafter.
According to the couple’s bodyguard Jim Corbett, it was the first time a young girl climbed to the treetops as a princess and descended as a queen the following day.
The world mourns the death of Queen Elizabeth II. Not because of her title, riches, or even celebrity status. We grieve the great loss of a magnificent woman who lived her life in devotion and responsibility to her country and the Commonwealth.
She ruled for an incredible 70 years. No other monarch has reigned for such amount of generations. Her death symbolizes the end of a period and her reassuring presence that ruled over the Vietnam War, the first man on the moon, Chernobyl, the fall of the Berlin Wall, September 11, 2001, the coronavirus pandemic and so many worldly moments across this span of time.
Despite harsh global and local events, Queen Elizabeth maintained an optimistic and hopeful attitude, even despite extremely public personal hardships. Day in and day out, she demonstrated steady leadership in both good and terrible circumstances.
She managed the stress of being a young female leader in a male-dominated culture at the start of her reign. She managed to be the ruler of a traditional monarchy with many norms and ceremonies while also ushering in change. Most challenging of all, she had to constantly contend with ‘putting her job first’ versus ‘family unity.’
She possessed a perplexing blend of opposing attributes, such as personal humility and professional determination. Queen Elizabeth II stood for change and never frowned on a moment for her to grow and learn, she was a transitional leader that valued a team of advisors to work together for the betterment of her rule and responsibilities.