Jubilee

I do not have sufficient words for Her Majesty, so I will leave it to those who do. On the occasion of her Silver Jubilee, Philip Larkin wrote this verse, which I think says it all and remains true of her:

In times when nothing stood
But worsened or grew strange
There was one constant good
She did not change

And Ted Hughes – who, I have learned, was a great monarchist – wrote this, also lovely:

A nation’s a soul
A soul is a wheel
With a crown for a hub
To keep it whole

For this extraordinary celebration, Britain’s current Poet Laureate, Simon Armitage, has written the following (please check here for his beautiful tribute to Prince Philip).

And how can I omit, as we talk all things Jubilee, this precious moment? Her Majesty is a good sport. (I love how the marmalade sandwiches are unwrapped.)