When Queen Elizabeth II celebrated her diamond jubilee with British parliamentarians this week, it was time again for tiaras and tradition except that the Queen wore a hat. Members from both Houses of Parliament trooped in to greet the 86-year-old dapper monarch at Parliament’s Westminster Hall, which is the oldest standing structure of the Palace of Westminster dating from before 1,000 AD. It is here that Warren Hastings was tried for his crimes in India and was acquitted after seven years.

In recent years, however, slightly less rigorous functions have taken place in the grand stone and wood hall, lit up through light streaming through marvellous stained glass windows — a perfect setting for an unforgettable event. (Incidentally, though not on such a grand scale, my husband had his book launch party in a lovely little room leading off from Westminster Hall, just at the side. The “atmospherics” of this part of Parliament reek splendidly of history.)
Members of the House of Lords and the House of Commons happily gathered with their spouses to congratulate the monarch for a record-breaking 60-year reign (equalled only by Queen Victoria). For most of these big-ticket functions, the selection of spouses who can attend the function is done through lottery. It is a fair system and (unlike India) it is extremely doubtful if anyone can use the argument of “Don’t you know who I am” to gatecrash. Sadly, I didn’t win the lottery for this glittering function but hopefully there are going to be many more occasions when one can shimmy up to the Queen, drop a curtsey and wish her well.
However, by all accounts it was a wonderful occasion. There were guards in their splendid costumes, a live orchestra and trumpeters blasting their welcome when the Queen arrived. There were speeches by the Lord Speaker, the elegant Baroness Frances D’Souza and the Speaker of the House of Commons, the pocket-sized but very competent John Bercow. Mr Bercow paid a special tribute saying that Queen Elizabeth’s reign had made the country “a land where people are respected, regardless of how they live, how they look or how they love. This is a nation of many races, faiths and customs, now beginning to be reflected in Parliament… You have become, to many of us, a kaleidoscope Queen of a kaleidoscope country in a kaleidoscope Commonwealth.”
The Queen took it all in serenely and then in her own speech explained how she “treated with” 12 Prime Ministers and signed more than 3,500 bills into law. While it would be difficult to fault this 86 year old in her devotion to public service, even her husband, Prince Philip, got a mention when she said he disliked compliments but was a solid support for her. Perhaps, he was overwhelmed (after all it is rare for the Queen to forgo family rectitude and shower praise, however faint, on family members) but, for once the gaffe-prone prince didn’t come up with any controversial quips.

Elizabethan Britain may be a kaleidoscopic country today but surprisingly Victorian attitudes still prevail. Former Minder and Sweeney Todd star, Dennis Waterman, took pride in claiming that he is “actually quite Victorian” as he thinks “there is a place for women at home.”
He admitted to slapping and punching his ex-wife Rula Lenska, a TV and filmstar (Coronation Street). Waterman said that because Lenska was a “strong, intelligent” woman who could argue and so he resorted to “lashing out” to stop her.
“The problem with strong intelligent women is that they can argue well. It is not difficult for a woman to make a man hit her,” he has reportedly said. His controversial “confession” has raised enormous issues about domestic violence and the dodgy ethics of those in public life. Dennis and Rula were the glamorous TV couple of the 1990s and even today appear in programmes, the latest being a BBC series, New Tricks, where she plays his boss.
Dennis’ statement has appalled everyone except his former wife. Many years ago, no one had believed her when she had complained about Dennis’ violent behaviour. Her claims of suffering at his hands had been dismissed. Now we know what strong silent men get up to when they can’t win an argument. And it is quite typical that Waterman continues to blame his former wife for having forced him to hit her.

But now for an amazingly heart-warming tale, especially as these days “kaleidoscopic” Britain is experiencing an increasing cacophony over immigrants and their role in the UK. Last week saw the country unite to pray for the life of an immigrant. The amazing 21-year-old footballer, Fabrice Muamba, had collapsed with a cardiac arrest during a football match. It was an important game for both sides and was poised at 1-1. He was rushed to hospital where his heart stopped beating for two hours. The match was abandoned. Suddenly, the Twitter world was full of prayers for him and his girlfriend Shauna. This country, which is not known for religiosity finally turned to God to pull off a miracle. By God, it happened!
Muamba arrived in England in 1999 when he was 11 with his father, escaping the civil war in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Within the last decade he has made it to the England under-21 squad and played for a Premier League side, Bolton.
One person who was caught on Twitter sending hate messages for the injured Muamba is now facing jail. But for a tense two hours the rest of the nation forgot its immigration policy and simply willed Muamba to, literally, come back to life. It was an emotional, tearful moment when Muamba’s heart started beating again. Hopefully, this was a moment that people will remember when they next rant about immigrants.

The writer can be contacted at kishwardesai@yahoo.com