When she came as a recently crowned young woman in 1953 at the beginning of a world tour, Her Majesty visited an Island vastly different politically and socially from the one she visits today.

In the next two days the Queen and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, will meet a much wider array of Bermudians than was even thought about in 1953 in what is essentially a much more relaxed and comprehensive tour.

When the Queen became head of the Commonwealth there were only eight independent member countries. Today there are 50 diverse nations with a total population of 1,500 million people. On her current tour, Her Majesty has visited countries with approaches to government as different as Jamaica which is about to become a republic, the Cayman Islands which firmly chose to remain a colony and Bermuda which is inquiring into Independence.

Over the last 41 years, the Queen as head of the Commonwealth has become the link which binds countries which have little else in common. The Queen is the symbol of continuity and stability, the unwavering factor. The Queen is also a roving ambassador both for Britain and for the Commonwealth. Her vast knowledge and huge experience of the affairs and personalities which have dominated the world since she ascended the throne in the trying years after the Second World War are invaluable today. In very many ways the Queen has become a repository of the world's truths, a Monarch who has known world leaders from Winston Churchill to Nelson Mandela. As such today the Queen is able to give experienced and non-partisan advice to those who seek her expertise. There is no other person on earth with such wide ranging knowledge.

It is impossible not to be in awe of the huge amount of work the Queen and her Consort, Prince Philip, undertake. One look at the tour of Bermuda over the next few days indicates that Her Majesty is the hardest working of grandmothers, be it in a hospital or at tree planting. The Queen's devotion to what she has said she regards as a job for life is truly remarkable.

Undeterred by her own problems and trials, the Queen goes on selflessly with her rounds encouraging and comforting others.

Today those rounds bring the Queen to Bermuda and take her on visits to a number of this Country's major institutions. Bermuda will welcome the Royal Couple with its usual sincerity and warmth. There is general recognition in this tiny and hugely successful colony that, no matter what the future, the Royal Family has been good to Bermuda and good for Bermuda.