Lessons for life from the Queen

Having taken the Queen’s remarkable longevity, good health and work ethic for granted right until the end, might her subjects now appreciate her approach to life? Because through her combination of sheer graft – she received Liz Truss to kiss hands two days before she died – and her attitudes towards health, leisure and emotional resilience, Queen Elizabeth II bestowed on us an invaluable guide to living well. The problem is that most of us haven’t spotted it.

It begins with some obvious don’ts: don’t smoke – the Queen had that lesson first-hand from her father George VI (albeit her sister Margaret didn’t listen). Don’t drink too much: she was fond of an evening martini, apparently, but was never a big drinker, even though the bar would have stayed open at royal command as long as she liked. Next there was don’t get fat: the Queen stayed impeccably trim throughout her reign, which is easier said than done, as evidenced by the millions of weight loss apps and books sold each year.