Every other day we see one or more
members of the British royal family in the news. We like reading about their
scandals, whether they involve prince Charles and Camilla, prince Harry and his
escapades, or “Fergie” and prince Andrew. We mourn when we learn that princess
Diana has died tragically while being pursued by paparazzi. Our current
fascination is with a sweet, smiley princess and her babies, prince George and
princess Charlotte.
As soon as the royals are old
enough, they are assigned royal duties. Take Harry and William, for example. Since
the age of 21 they have been Counsellors of State. They are also involved in
numerous organizations and charities.
What about the current queen, HRM
Elizabeth II? She has been busy even before she began her reign of 63 years
(and counting). During World War II, at the age of 15, she became colonel of
the Grenadier Guards and later joined the Women’s Auxiliary Territorial
Service. But she never participated in any battles and she certainly did not
lead any armies.
About two thousand years ago,
another British queen, Boudicca, led her people, the Iceni, in their war
against the invading Roman legions. Although she eventually lost, she did win
several battles and slaughtered 80,000 Romans.
The case of Boudicca was not
unique. There was another famous British queen before her, Cartimandua. There
were many others in Egypt, in Macedonia, in Assyria, and elsewhere. And even
those who did not manage to lead armies made a difference politically,
socially, or in matters of religion, on a scale unknown in the modern world.
If you are interested in reading
more about them, you will find short biographies in a collection I have
published, Queens of the Ancient World:
From A(da) to Z(enobia). Their lives were more fascinating than the lives
of modern princesses and duchesses.
