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Queen Elizabeth II has visited New York City two times prior to this visit tomorrow. As a newly-throned monarch, she came to the Big Apple in 1957, not again until 1976, and for the third and final time, perhaps on July 6th. Along with New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Governor David Paterson, New Jersey's new Governor Chris Christie will meet the Queen at Ground Zero. See below a wonderful video of the Queen speaking about her life.
Queen Elizabeth II
She was a vivacious young queen when she first saw New York City in 1957, regal in white gloves but as dazzled as any tourist taking in the Statue of Liberty and the skyline of Manhattan from the deck of a rumbling Staten Island ferry. She wanted her first sight of the magical city "as it should be approached," she said - from the harbor."
cheering throngs lined Broadway for miles, showering Queen Elizabeth II with affection as blizzards of ticker tape engulfed her entourage. She waved from President Dwight D. Eisenhower's bubble-top limousine, a tiny woman suspended in time...dined that evening at the Waldorf-Astoria in a diamond tiara....This will be a short visit for the Queen, now 84-years-old, and husband, Prince Philip. They arrive from Canada in a private plane and fly back to Britain the same evening. She will first speak at the United Nations, visit Ground Zero, and then caravan to The British Garden in Hanover Square to memorialize the lives of 67 Brits murdered when the Twin Towers fell:
An elongated triangle in the rough shape of the British Isles, it is a landscaped version of a traditional British garden, planted with hydrangea, rhododendron, azalea, foxglove, holly and yew....Queen Elizabeth was born Elizabeth Alexandra Mary. She took the throne on February 1952 at age 25, although her coronation did not happen until June of 1953. She has reigned for 58 years.
In this rare video, Queen Elizabeth speaks of her "job," and her commitment to it. She says she does wish that she could spend more time in the out-of-doors, and she seems to love her unique connection to "the people." Her resolve to keep the Monarchy alive, with the pomp and circumstance that goes with it, can be overwhelming, but this Queen says it is only overwhelming if you let it be so.
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