Taking the knee as we draw closer to Queen Elizabeth II 70th year of reign

When King Louis XVI and his queen got the chop at the hands of revolutionaries in Paris in 1793, many were those who thought the days of monarchies in Europe were numbered.

And they were right: more than 200 years later, royalty perform largely ceremonial roles. But few monarchs carry out their duties with the quiet calm of Queen Elizabeth II who, on Sunday, becomes the first British sovereign to reign for 70 years, heralding the start of her platinum jubilee year.

Taking over from her father, George VI, in 1952, when she was just 25 and newly married to Prince Philip, she never shirked her role as the figurehead who would help lead her country back from the devastation of World War II and through one of the most socially turbulent eras in modern history.

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She has had heartbreak and drama as her family – and its many foibles – have become fodder for the global media. And she had to adapt to a new society, where a stiff upper lip is no longer the correct response to a crisis.

Yet, her people still love her and she has made the institution of the monarchy a feature of contemporary British life. We kneel in salute, Ma’am.