《此Queen和彼Queen》英女王九十一歲大壽

今日係英女王伊利沙伯二世九十一歲嘅正日大壽。雖然女王兩次訪港都未有到訪皇仁，但係作為官立學校，1997年前禮堂及校長室均有掛放女王肖像。日日見住佢，相信同學老師都對佢嘅模樣相當熟悉。其實掛英國君主及校長肖像的傳統可以追溯到20世紀初，當時還在荷李活道的校舍大禮堂便掛放了由庇理羅士等香港富商捐出的維多利亞女皇、愛德華七世、佐治五世、首任掌院史釗域博士大型油畫肖像。可惜這些珍本都在二次大戰期間和校舍一起付諸一炬。

雖然如此，1953年英女王登基，對於以女王命名的「皇仁書院」（QUEEN's College）仍相當重要。皇仁書院155年歷史，總共經歷了六代君主，兩代皇朝。

一齊睇睇當年 (1953)《黃龍報》嘅報導：

With the Coronation of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II only a few days away the tempo of excitement is daily mounting. People all over the world-Royalty, Presidents, Leaders, Statesmen and many thousands in humbler walks of life-are converging on the Capital of England to witness on the second of June the most colourful and interesting event since the War in the free world. Though so far away from the seat of the Coronation, Hong Kong is rich in Coronation atmosphere as is evident om the beautiful decorations in all parts of the Colony. The elaborate preparations for this festive occasion are almost complete and the people of Hong Kong, young and old alike, irrespective of race or creed, are eagerly looking forward to the Coronation Day. In accordance with the time-honoured Chinese tradition, the Chinese Community of Hong Kong are holding a Dragon Procession as their main contribution to the Coronation festivities. The Dragon, to the Chinese mind, as pointed out in our last Editorial. is the symbol of the monarch, and it has, since earliest times, represented the supernatural divinity of the Sovereign. We therefore consider it particularly significant that our "Dragon," the "Wong Lung Po," is now making another of its regular appearances: this time with a particularly noble mission-to commemorate the Coronation of Her Majesty. We feel it our loyal duty to dedicate this issue of our magazine to our Queen by whose title our College is known, and to pay our tribute to this Gracious Lady who sits on the British Throne. In the felicitous words of the Colonial Secretary, the Hon. R. B. Black, C.M.G., "Queen's College (founded in the reign of Queen Victoria) by its name acquires in this year a very special significance." Now that the epithet "Queen's" is the order of the day, the dignity and prestige which our College has so long upheld will undoubtedly be further enhanced i n the reign o f the Young Queen which has begun s o auspiciously. In the entire span of existence of our College, several coronations have taken place, but th1s Coronation is the first of a Queen Regnant. By the time this appears in print, e ew Queen, in one of the most symbolic ceremonies and one of the grandest pageants m history, will have received the Crown which is in this, more than in any other age, the symbol of unity, liberty and justice, of common allegiance and of high tradition and ideals. We are happy to quote here Churchill's words: "Famous have been the reigns of our Queens. Some of the greatest periods in our history have unfolded under their sceptre." The pages of history are rich in accounts of the deeds of outstanding women, and British Queens, in particular, have in the past shown remarkable ability in playing a leading part in their country's affairs when circumstances appeared to require them to do so. We can, therefore, with utmost confidence look forward to a bright future. We have witnessed in our lifetime the greatest miracle of the age-the remarkable transition from Empire to Commonwealth, from imperialism to equal partnership. What has for over a century been known as the British Empire is now a voluntary association of free nations, all equal in status, all owing allegiance to the same sovereign, the Link and the Head of the Commonwealth. In no state in the world are loyalty and devotion to the Sovereign and the Royal Family more deep-rooted in the hearts of the people than in the British Commonwealth. Therefore we, in Queen's College, the "College of Royal Benevolence" as its Chinese name signifies, join with all members of the great Common­ wealth in sincere felicitations on this happy occasion. We cannot do better than to echo the sentiments voiced at the Festival of Youth held in this Colony on May 28th:- "We declare before all that our lives, whether long or short, shall be devoted to the ideals which Her Majesty places before us. We too shall crusade for freedom, prosperity, and happiness by fighting fear, selfishness, hate and apathy, first in our own hearts and then wherever we find it growing. We shall try to assist each other in this high adventure and in so doing help to build the foundation of a world nearer in the spirit to the ideals and heart of our Queen." In tendering our heartfelt congratulations and good wishes to Her Majesty for a long, happy and glorious reign, we unite with all people in the Commonwealth in saying with one voice: "GOD SAVE QUEEN ELIZABETH ! LONG LIVE QUEEN ELIZABETH!"