‘Elizabeth the Dutiful’: Former pop icon Richard Coles wants Queen Elizabeth II to receive an epithet
LONDON, ENGLAND: The longest reigning monarch in modern history, Queen Elizabeth II died on Thursday, September 8 at the age of 96 and now, former pop icon Richard Coles is asking that Queen be given an epithet, suggesting "Elizabeth the Dutiful."
In an opinion piece in The Times on Sunday, September 11, the former vicar of Finedon in Northamptonshire said that during his time as a vicar, he familiarised himself with all the Kings and Queens of England who have epithets, including Ethelred the Unready, Alfred the Great, Ferdinand the Fickle and his favorite, Erik the Priest Hater. "But what of Elizabeth II?" he wrote.
ALSO READ
The first and ONLY time Queen Elizabeth II broke royal protocol
Prince William says 'life without grannie' is unreal in touching tribute to Queen
Coles, who rose to fame as part of the 1980s band the Communards, praised the Queen for "keeping her promise" of serving the nation her "whole life whether it be long or short." The former vicar said, "She understood her role was to unite a nation in a time of adversity. The job of our leaders is to hold us together. What did they think they were doing? The Queen understood without having to be told."
Coles, who is also a writer and radio presenter, suggested the title of "Elizabeth the Far-Travelled" as modern transport allowed the Queen to go further than any other monarch in the long royal history.
Another option was "Elizabeth the Long-Lived" due to her longest reign in British history. During her time on the throne, the queen had overseen a total of 15 prime ministers. However, he was not the only one who suggested titles for the queen, former prime minister of the United Kingdom, Boris Johnson referred to the Queen as "Elizabeth the Great" in a touching personal tribute in his first speech from the backbenches. However, Coles was unhappy with the title given by Johnson. He felt "the great" refers to the length of her reign, not to the achievements she garnered during her time on the throne.
Coles concluded, "In a world that finds it impossible to commit to lunch, she kept the promise she made when she became heir to the throne, that her whole life, whether it be long or short, would be devoted to our service. I would choose Elizabeth the Dutiful."
The Queen, who was reportedly suffering from ill health and mobility issues, died at her Balmoral residence just a few days after meeting UK's new Prime Minister Liz Truss on September 6. After the Queen died "peacefully" in the afternoon on Thursday.