Queen Elizabeth II, at 91, is the world’s longest-serving monarch, and the British monarchy’s association with the Bible was vividly demonstrated in her coronation ceremony in 1953—observed by millions of people worldwide. After she placed her hand on a Bible and signed the Coronation Oath, she heard the words: “Our gracious Queen: To keep your majesty ever mindful of the Law and the Gospel of God as the Rule for the whole life and government . . . we present you with this Book, the most valuable thing that this world affords.”
Other scriptures were read from Psalm 84 and 141, as well as passages from the New Testament. In 2002, when she was asked the secret of her “remarkable consistency of character," she answered, “I draw strength from the message of hope in the Christian gospel.”
