Statement by Commonwealth Secretary-General Don McKinnon to Mark The Queen’s 80th Birthday
20 April 2006
'All the governments and peoples of the 53-nation Commonwealth wish Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II - Head of the Commonwealth - a very happy 80th birthday on Friday 21 April 2006.
A grateful and admiring Commonwealth pays tribute to The Queen's devotion to duty throughout her life. In a televised interview on her 21st birthday in Cape Town in 1947, she famously declared that her "whole life, whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service". It is a promise that Her Majesty has kept faithfully.
The Commonwealth has changed beyond recognition during The Queen's lifetime, from an association built on the foundations of an empire to a modern partnership of 53 equal and sovereign states. Throughout that period of tremendous change, The Queen has represented and personified constant and time-honoured values of commitment and loyalty. The Queen has been a true symbol of these values which bind Commonwealth members freely together.
The Queen is a remarkable person, and a remarkable Head of this Commonwealth. In 1970, she wrote about the Commonwealth as "… rather a special family, a family of nations …" The Queen continues to serve with distinction as the head of our family of nations. The Commonwealth thanks Her Majesty, and we wish her a very happy birthday.'
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