Superfan hails Queen as ‘Elizabeth the Nice’

An ardent royalist has mentioned historical past will bear in mind the Queen as “Elizabeth the Nice”.

Anita Atkinson, who has greater than 12,000 objects of royal memorabilia on show in a transformed dairy on her farm in Weardale, County Durham mentioned the celebrations for the Platinum Jubilee would be the finest but.

And the general public have recognised that “the ship of state sails on”, regardless of private tragedy and household scandal, the 65-year-old superfan mentioned.

Mrs Atkinson, who offers talks concerning the monarchy, advised the PA information company: “Our Queen is just the sixth feminine monarch in 1,000 years of historical past.

“This reign will go down in historical past as Elizabeth the Nice.”

She mentioned she would have cherished to be in London for the lengthy weekend of celebrations in June, however as a substitute will likely be serving to run a pop-up royal tearoom in Bishop Auckland with folks with studying difficulties, adopted by an enormous celebration on the farm.

Mrs Atkinson advised PA: “I feel it’ll be completely spectacular and I feel it’s going to eclipse the opposite jubilees.

“I used to be round within the Silver Jubilee and it was like a year-long celebration. We had a good time.

“After which the Golden Jubilee got here, after which the Diamond Jubilee and also you assume, nicely, nothing can outdo the Diamond Jubilee.

“I feel the spotlight of the Diamond Jubilee yr was the Queen apparently leaping out of a helicopter to open the Olympics.

“Properly, what are we going to do that yr? It’s going to be completely gorgeous.”

Carrying a Union flag jacket with matching earrings, the Justice of the Peace, retired newspaper editor and grandmother-of-five mentioned the Queen might by no means have imagined in 1947, when she was 21 and vowed to serve her nation, that she would nonetheless be reigning in 2022.

Mrs Atkinson acknowledged the powerful instances the Queen has confronted over the 70 years, with the lack of family members, household divorces, scandal and tragedy.

However, she mentioned, the general public haven’t turned in opposition to her, as a result of her lengthy service and dedication, even when they often recognise bother within the household.

Mrs Atkinson mentioned: “Sure, there’s issues, with the youngsters, with the grandchildren, however folks go ‘Yeah, that’s what I’ve received as nicely, that’s life’.

“However the ship of state sails on unaffected, and the Queen simply carries on.”

Mrs Atkinson, who’s within the course of of getting her assortment of books, cups, plates, posters and different memorabilia formally recognised because the world’s largest, mentioned she expects the “forgiving” Queen will need Harry and Meghan to be on the jubilee celebrations.

And the general public have come to simply accept the Duchess of Cornwall as future queen after an unpopular begin to her marriage to the Prince of Wales.

Mrs Atkinson agreed the Queen’s announcement that she would love that to occur was a present to her oldest son, saying: “It was intelligent, as a result of if there was at some point, ever in her life, the place she might announce one thing like that, it was going to be on the anniversary of her accession to the throne, the place no-one might criticise.”