Queen's Platinum Jubilee: Thank you, your Majesty for 70 years serving us all - Bill Carmichael

In fact, as a young man, I would have argued that the Monarchy was an out-dated feudal relic unfit for a modern democracy, and that it should be abolished and replaced with an elected head of state.

I suppose back then I was something of a rebel – although in truth like most people living in the prosperous and free West, I had precious little to be rebellious about.

I was born in a terraced house owned by the local council and attended a comprehensive school.

But somehow I bagged a place at one of England’s ancient universities without paying a penny in fees, and with a decent maintenance grant to live off, courtesy of the taxpayer.

And it was at my Cambridge college that I caused a bit of a stir by refusing to stand for the national anthem at a formal dinner.

But such is the tolerance of our country – for which we should always be grateful and proud – that I faced absolutely no bad consequences for this small act of disobedience against authority.

If I had tried something similar in the Soviet Union, China or Iran, I would have never been seen or heard of again.

I still think there is something ridiculous about the hereditary principle, whereby you are appointed to a job simply because of who your parents are, and regardless of your suitability to the role in terms of character, talent or qualifications.

By its very nature, such a system can never be fair or equitable and it is as far from the modern obsession with “inclusivity” and “diversity” as it is possible to imagine.

But over the years I have warmed to the Royal Family and to the Queen in particular.

I’d like to think this is because I am older and wiser, but in truth it is the result of an impartial evaluation of the performance of the Queen in the role to which she was born.

Put simply, in 70 years she has hardly put a foot wrong and she has proved time and again to be a precious asset to this country and to the Commonwealth. We are very, very lucky to have her.

In 1947, in a speech to mark her 21st birthday, the then Princess Elizabeth said: “I declare before you that my whole life, whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service” and she has delivered on that promise in spades.

Later in the speech she added, “God help me to make good my vow” and one often-overlooked aspect of the Queen’s character is her firm Christian faith that has helped sustain her over her entire reign.

There have been so many diplomatic triumphs over the years it is hard to single out one, but the state visit to the Irish Republic in 2011 brilliantly demonstrated the Queen’s gift for reconciliation and bringing people together.

Given the history of conflict between the two countries, this was always going to be a tricky mission, with potential for it to go disastrously wrong, but the Queen handled it with such aplomb that she even gained the grudging admiration of the then Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams.

When she began her speech at Dublin Castle with a few words of impeccably pronounced Gaelic, the then Irish President Mary McAleese turned open mouthed to others on the table to exclaim “wow” three times.

The speech, written by the Queen herself with the help of a private secretary, went on to offer an apology for “things we wish had been done differently or not at all” and emphasised the mutual affection and common interests of the UK and Ireland.

She was apparently offered an exemption to the restrictions then in place so that her family could comfort her at the funeral, but she refused because she did not want to take advantage of a privilege not offered to her subjects.

To the partying and rule-breaking politicians of all stripes it was a sharp reminder of the true meaning of the word “service”.

So over the coming weekend this proud Elizabethan and loyal subject will be raising a glass to thank the Queen for her unstinting service to her people over 70 years. Thank you your Majesty and may God guide and protect you.