Queen Elizabeth II turned 100 on April 21. Many leaders and countries around the world paid tribute to the longest-serving British monarch in history. They wanted to remember her magnificent career in public service and honour a life well lived.

The Royal Family celebrated Her Majesty on its official website.

“When Her Majesty acceded to the throne aged just 25, her life changed overnight from that of a young naval wife and mother to a busy Head of State,” as noted in the opening paragraph. “She was to become known for her sense of duty and her devotion to a life of service, and was an important figurehead for the UK and the Commonwealth during times of both crisis and celebration.” The website also outlined her role as a “working Queen,” various state duties, recognizing achievements in the Commonwealth, the importance of family and how she was “buoyed by her Christian faith.”

There were also a variety of special messages and personal memories left on The Royal Family’s X account, YouTube channel and more.

It’s only fair to give King Charles III’s personal message the special attention it deserves. “Queen Elizabeth’s promise with destiny…shaped the world around her and touched the lives of countless people across our nation, the Commonwealth and beyond,” His Majesty said. “Her near-century was one of remarkable change. And yet, through each passing decade, through every transformation, she remained constant, steadfast and wholly devoted to the people she served.”

Indeed, Queen Elizabeth II witnessed or participated in many important events that helped transform the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth in her 70 years on the throne. Colonies in Africa and the Caribbean achieved their long-awaited independence. The Falkland Islands invasion was Britain’s last great naval victory. Her state visit to the Republic of Ireland in 2011 was the first by a member of the Royal Family in a century. Canada was patriated and became a sovereign nation.

I wrote about Queen Elizabeth II’s special relationship with our country in a Troy Media syndicated column on Sept. 13, 2022, or five days after her death. It only seems right to revisit this subject as she reaches the century mark.

“Canadians have, by their own endeavours, built a country and society which is widely admired across the world,” she said in a speech in Halifax on June 28, 2010. “I am fortunate to have been a witness to many of the developments and accomplishments of modern Canada. As Queen of Canada for nearly six decades, my pride in this country remains undimmed. Thank you again for your welcome. It is very good to be home.”

The use of “home” was an interesting choice. Why was it included? “Canada was the country she visited the most and clearly because it’s the one she could resonate most clearly her commitment to the Commonwealth,” historian John Fraser noted in a Sept. 9, 2022 CBC interview. This makes sense. Canada always made her feel welcome, comfortable and at ease. Monarchists admired her leadership and wisdom. Opponents to the monarchy begrudgingly acknowledged her respect for family and tradition. The vast majority of Canadians were pleased to see her in the Great White North, too.

Queen Elizabeth II met many of our Prime Ministers on her 22 official trips. Photos with Louis St. Laurent, John Diefenbaker, Lester Pearson, Pierre Trudeau, Brian Mulroney, Jean Chretien, Paul Martin, Stephen Harper and Justin Trudeau can be found on the government’s official website. She got along with all of them, and made each and every one feel special in their own way.

There are also some interesting stories about her official trips and occasional detours.

Her Majesty made a little-known excursion to T. Roy and Nora Bailey’s farm in Carberry, Manitoba in 1970, for instance. Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Philip and other Royal Family members are seen in photos sitting on lawn chairs as well as riding horses. “She sat in our backyard having coffee and cake and just chatting,” the Baileys’ son, Brian, told Global News on June 2, 2022. “She and my mom chatted about family things, it was just like having the relatives in for coffee.”

Queen Elizabeth II also witnessed the unveiling of a statue of her favourite horse, Burmese, in front of the legislative building in Regina in 2005. Michael Jackson, former Chief of Protocol for Saskatchewan, said in a Sept. 8, 2022 interview with Meadow Lake Now that this was the horse “she most preferred to ride for Trooping the Colour and in ceremonies in London. Burmese was a gift from the RCMP and she rode it until Burmese retired and she kept it at Windsor Castle until it died.”

Let me leave you with King Charles III’s poignant final words in his deeply touching personal message to his beloved mother that I discussed earlier. “God bless you, darling Mama; you remain forever in our hearts and prayers.”

Rest well, your Highness – and Happy 100th Birthday.

Loonie Politics columnist and political commentator Michael Taube was a speechwriter for former Prime Minister Stephen Harper.