In 1953, the year I was seven, my mother gave me a scrapbook full of pictures she'd cut out of magazines and newspapers of the newly crowned Queen Elizabeth II of England. I clearly remember gazing in awe at the photos of the dazzling young woman clad in an enviably pouffy dress, an ermine trimmed robe and a jeweled crown atop her regal head. She looked enough like my mother to my young eyes that I went to Mama with scrapbook in hand and asked if I could try on that crown.
Ever after that, I thought of my mother in terms of queenliness. She had a dancer's grace, wore her clothes beautifully, looked marvelous in hats (which I sometimes borrowed, pretending they were crowns), and ruled with intelligence and wisdom (albeit with a touch of severity).
Recently I came across this photo of Elizabeth. I can still see a slight resemblance. My mother has long since passed - she would have been 92 this May. The Queen will be 83 in April. The scrapbook disappeared long ago but my delight in thinking, even for a few giddy, childish moments, that my mother was a real live queen has not much abated.
photos of the Queen from www.picmium.com, Annie Liebowitz
9 comments:
WOW! what a likeness. it is stunning.
Maybe you are distantly related. There really is an uncanny resemblance.
It's interesting - my mother is of French descent. None of her relatives are British. It's my dad's side that's English (as well as Dutch, and Native American and he doesn't look a thing like the Queen).
What a delightful memory. Yes, I see a resemblance.
I always felt my mother looked like the Queen, & her brother looked very like King George Vth!
I remember being fascinated with the little Princesses.
how cool!!!!
my mom always told me she wanted to marry the singer, Tom Jones. I spent a lot of time as a small child telling people that Tom Jones was going to be my dad ...!
then again, mom says i've always had a very active and dramatic imagination - for a red dirt mule!
xxx
rdm
Omigosh, your mother did look like the Queen! You know, that photo of the Queen by Annie Liebowitz, I just used it in one of my posts too. Didn't Annie capture her beautifully? Both the Queen and her sister Margaret were beautiful girls.
I can't tell which is which.
They're all beautiful pictures.
And boy, that crown looks heavy!
Nice tribute. She certainly was a queen.
Post a Comment