Queen Elizabeth II’s reign over the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth states lasted for 70 years and 214 days until Thursday 8 September 2022, at 96 years of age. She was in good health and spirit for the significant majority of this time, and even when her physical conditional began to affect how she carried out her role, she carried out her final constitutional duty just two days before her passing.
The pictures of the Queen with new UK Prime Minister Liz Truss at royal residence Balmoral Castle, where she asked her to form a government, epitomised the longest serving British monarch’s impressive commitment to serving her country until the end; they may have depicted a frail figure, but her calm composure and famous smile were ever present.
Health equals the greatest wealth
Further to The Queen’s civic role, she was a role model for mental and physical health. Reported to have a healthy diet, she drank alcohol in moderation and exercised regularly. Combining this with her stoic and measured approach to intense media attention towards her and her family, she represented qualities that many people aspire to have – and don’t necessarily have to be born into wealth or fame for.
In memory of one of the world’s most respected royal figureheads, Top Doctors reflects on how Queen Elizabeth II’s health just might have been her greatest wealth.
Park life is just as effective as palace life
She loved to ride horses and made walking with her corgis around Buckingham Palace part of her daily routine. She would also ramble over the moorlands and through woods at Balmoral and Sandringham Estate.
Whatever your age, and despite some health conditions such as age-related arthritis, you can still find ways to exercise. For example, leading rheumatologist Dr Stephanie Kaye-Barrett advises how arthritis patients that exercise can benefit from increased flexibility, better sleep and maintaining a healthy weight.
While you may not have a palace to walk around, your local park can provide the open space to undertake moderate exercise on a regular basis – something that Queen Elizabeth clearly benefitted from.
Don’t deny yourself of a diet that you enjoy – and a giggle, once in a while
The Queen regularly ate healthy dishes such as grilled fish with vegetables or salad, but she couldn’t be true British Queen without treating herself to afternoon tea with Darjeeling sometimes. Who doesn’t enjoy an occasional selection of finger sandwiches and cakes? She reportedly enjoyed a gin and Dubonnet, a sweet fortified wine, every once in a while, too, and a joke didn’t go amiss either.
Set your personal boundaries
Queen Elizabeth’s privacy and political neutrality are qualities that may have been one of the things that gave her the mental capacity to do her incredibly busy job of being a Queen for all. And when it comes to my work, even though I’m not addressing millions of people every year and handling state affairs in the most delicate yet effective way, I definitely want to excel at it like the Queen did at hers.
Esteemed Harley Street psychiatrist Dr Sunil Raheja discusses in his article ‘Thriving in stressful environments: Self-care for your mind and body’: “We have to do more things for self-care to put systems and processes in place to put your steps forward rather than always being on the backfoot.”
It seems deciding what you need for your mental health in order to do your job to a high standard, is something that even the Queen could have needed. She avoided expressing her political views and controversial statements in public. While some people may disagree with this, is arguably one of the reasons why so many people respected Queen Elizabeth II so highly.
Her legacy will live on, and we look to Queen Elizabeth II for showing us how to make the most of life in a healthy, stable way. Rest in peace.
We are deeply saddened at the news of the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Our sincere condolences go out to the Royal Family at this time.
To us and many others, The Queen represented a model of duty and lifetime service, something each of us strives for in the work we do.