By Alex Slingsby — February 6, 2012 | ONLINE ONLY

Prince Harry spoke to Andrew Marr in a recent BBC One interview on the Queen and her upcoming Diamond Jubilee year, praising his grandmother for all of her courage, loyalty and determination to carry out her national and international duties as Queen. “I don’t think that she could do it without him,” Prince Harry tells Marr, reflecting on the Queen and Prince Philip, “especially when they’re both at this age”. And, to be completely honest, I agree. There is no way that the Queen would be able to carry out her duties as Queen without the aid of her husband.

Now, this isn’t a case of extreme right-wing anti-feminism at play here when I consider the extent to which our Monarch needs the Duke of Edinburgh. He is a constant supporting partner and has been since day one, and not one person in the world could carry out such an important role as efficiently as her husband. She needs his support just as much as the nation needs her, and this has certainly been brought to the world’s attention in light of his recent health concerns.

At a mere 85 years and 90 years old respectively, the Queen and Prince Philip have had an unreasonably busy twelve months. Not only did they host the wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton and an international state visit made by the President of United States, Barack Obama, the Queen and her husband also made a historic visit to the Republic of Ireland (for the first time since the Republic was formed in 1916) and travelled the long-haul journey to Australia to attend a gathering of Commonwealth leaders.

Her demanding and inspirational lifestyle might not be envied by many people as much as it is serenaded by her family; The Duke of Cambridge also spoke of his grandmother to Marr ahead of her jubilee, acknowledging the Queen’s ability to juggle her private and public life so efficiently, claiming that she “never had a blueprint”. Upon the death of King George VI on this day in 1952, a young Elizabeth undertook her late father’s duties as Queen, a prominent Commonwealth leader and the Supreme Governor of the Church of England, amongst many other key roles. She has taken centre stage since then.

However, you only have to review Prince Philip’s year to understand just how much of a strain this work is for the pair. The Duke of Edinburgh, who was taken to hospital over Christmas and treated for a blocked coronary artery, is not only the Queen’s consort, but her husband and constant companion. And it’s a good job that, despite the strain of their recent events, they are both “still smiling”.

The Queen has carved out her own path and managed it to the point where it would be difficult to find anyone with a negative impression of her reign. Forget Cheryl Cole, our Queen is the real nation’s sweetheart, a true inspiration for thousands if not millions of people, and one of the most successful monarchs in history. Nobody can argue with that. She is the second longest serving monarch of our country, behind Queen Victoria who served for less than four years more than her. In a world where national leaders seem to be more hassle than they are worth, the Queen is one of this nation’s best assets. Our majesty has a nation of followers and she is certainly a leader to be proud of.

Her lifetime achievement as Queen amongst many other roles is commemorated today with the start of this year’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations. This might not be an easy year for the royal family, but it will definitely prove how absolutely essential Her Majesty is as a representation of our society. There will be plenty of events, travel and hand-shaking involved for the Queen and Prince Philip, and they will both throw themselves into their work and their country once more. They have done so much for this country and this year could be the best opportunity we have to give something back. God save our Queen (and her consort).