Live like a queen

Who wouldn’t want to be in a position of complete power, wanting for nothing and having others serve our whims? But the women at the top have to meet certain standards and expectations. History has seen many queens come and go, with some making hardly a ripple and others leaving a legacy. Here are five women who held the title of Queen, and the life lessons they left to posterity. If you want to live like a queen, here are five golden rules inspired by their reigns.

Golden Rule #1: Be Optimistic

Queen Victoria (1819-1901)

While she was achieving the longest reign of any European queen, indeed of any British monarch, her steady hand steered her country and empire through one crisis after another, while it went from strength to strength. She maintained a youthful energy and optimism in to her old age that inspired her country.

Golden Rule #2: Be Brave

Boudica (died AD60)

After suffering brutal atrocities at the hands of the Roman occupying forces, Queen Boudica of East Anglia led an uprising against them. She set herself at the head of an army which, marched on Colchester in Eastern England, destroying it completely, then gave London the same treatment. Emperor Nero was rattled enough to consider withdrawing forces from Britain completely. Eventually, however, the mighty queen with the flowing red hair was defeated, taking her own life rather than face capture.

Golden Rule #3: Be Flexible

Catherine the Great (1729-1796)

Even in her youth, the stoic and statesmanlike Queen Catherine of Russia went to the trouble of learning another language, changing her religion and changing her name, in order to work her way into power. Once there she oversaw the modernisation of government and exercised a more egalitarian approach to ruling than any of her predecessors. Her policies saw the establishment of the Smolny Institute, the first state-financed higher education institution for women in Europe.

Golden Rule #4: Be Strong

Elizabeth I (1533-1603)

In England under Elizabeth I, religious persecution declined, the church and State became more harmonious, and the arts flourished. While she adopted a defensive footing with neighbouring European nations, anyone who posed a threat to her realm was met with the full force of England’s military strength, as the Spanish learned to their dismay. The Pope at the time, is recorded as marvelling that she was only a woman ruling over half an island, yet she was feared by Spain, France and the Holy Roman Empire.

Golden Rule #5: Be Calm

Catherine Parr (1512-1548)

Five months after Henry VIII’s fifth wife was executed, he married Catherine Parr. She established herself as a settling influence over his reign, and looked after the interests of his three children, particularly their education, and influenced Henry into legitimising the subsequent reigns of his daughters Mary and Elizabeth. Perhaps her best achievement, however, was something that none of Henry’s previous wives had done as queen: she outlived him.

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