Cool Queens: Victoria and Elizabeth
I was thinking back to the Trooping the Color ceremony in 1981, the day some brazen nut decided to shoot at the Queen. This particular event reinforces why I admire the Queen so much.
Her Majesty was still riding in the Trooping Ceremony at that time, and on this June day she cantered down The Mall atop her trusty horse, Burmese. Suddenly a young lad named Marcus Serjeant burst from the crowd and fired six shots at Elizabeth, causing Burmese to panic. It was just a starter pistol and the shots were blank, but the Queen didn’t know that and neither did anyone else. Regardless, Elizabeth calmed Burmese and rode on. Police grabbed Serjeant and hauled him off to jail.
All Elizabeth knew was that she hadn’t been shot, so the show had to go on. One is the Queen, after all.
Whenever I see that footage, I get a chill down my spine. It’s fear, it’s amazement, and it’s admiration all at once. Her Majesty’s reaction kept public panic to a minimum, staving off a mass exodus from The Mall where people could have been trampled and killed. She is amazing.
Then I find out that Queen Victoria had a similar incident – once by accident, the second time by design. It seems that this royal sangfroid runs in the blood!
While out for a drive in their carriage, the diminutive Queen and her husband, Prince Albert, were attacked by a youth firing a gun. The shots, thankfully, were blanks. He quickly removed himself from the scene, leaving the couple in shock. The next day, Albert and Victoria made a point to go out in their carriage along the same route to see if the person would attempt to shoot at them again. The royal couple were determined to catch a glimpse of their assailant. Nearing the same area along their route, out of the scenery burst the young man, brandishing a gun and firing like mad. Again, they were blanks. The prankster was caught in the act this time by a policeman. Both Queen and Consort were satisfied to learn his identity – twenty-two year old John Francis – and have him taken away.
Don’t mess with these two
Public emotion ran high over the incident, with tributes pouring in from every corner thanking God for sparing Her Majesty. People were also agog over the couple’s bravery, though some said their actions were foolhardy. It had been a close call.
The title of this post is “Cool Queens”, but I have got to give Albert credit, too. He was no shrinking violet! So in times of trouble, may we always remember the spine of steel exhibited by the Royal Family. God Bless them and their example.
