As she celebrates her 90th birthday, loyal subjects of the Queen of England reflected on their experiences with her. While Queen Elizabeth II marked the occasion outside Windsor Castle, former Saskatchewan Chief of Protocol Michael Jackson was at his home in Regina.
Much like the Queen’s son, Prince Charles, Jackson couldn’t believe the monarch had already reached the age of 90.
READ MORE: Queen Elizabeth II to spend day at Windsor Castle on her 90th birthday
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Her Majesty has visited Saskatchewan six times, beginning in 1951 when she was known as “Princess Elizabeth.” She returned to the province in 1959, 1973, 1978, 1987 and 2005.
Jackson coordinated ten royal tours in the province, which included various members of the Royal Family.
“I know the Queen has enjoyed her tours here. In 1987, she had six days here. She took a weekend off to relax in the Qu’Appelle Valley and did a number of engagements around the province,” Jackson said.
Queen Elizabeth has helped modernize the relationship between the monarchy and the Commonwealth, according to former Saskatchewan lieutenant-governor Gordon Barnhart.
“I would say that the monarchy is as popular now in Canada … as ever before,” Barnhart said.
“They went through a tough spell with divorces in the family and deaths in the family and that sort of thing. She was strong and she withstood that,” he added.
While some might argue the relevance of the monarchy in modern Canadian society, a recent Ipsos poll conducted on behalf of Global News found 61 per cent of Canadians feel “the constitutional monarchy helps to define Canadian identity and should continue to be our form of government.”
“May she live for a long time yet,” Barnhart said.
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