'Elizabeth: Our Queen': Queen Has 'Heart And Stomach Of A Man'

A former prime minister likened Queen Elizabeth II's courage to that of a man's.

On Tuesday's episode of Channel 5's documentary titled "Elizabeth: Our Queen," the monarch's leadership for Commonwealth was highlighted. Former Prime Minister Harold Macmillan described Her Majesty in his diary and characterized Queen Elizabeth II as tough for a woman.

"She is impatient of the attitude towards her to treat her as a woman, a film star or mascot," Mcmillan wrote. "She has indeed the heart and stomach of a man. She loves her duty and means to be a Queen and not a puppet."

The said episode focused on the monarch's visit to Ghana in 1961. At the time, the Soviet Union was trying to sway the nations towards its communist ideology, including Ghana, a Commonwealth nation.

When Queen Elizabeth II learned about it, she immediately planned to fly to Ghana. A few weeks prior to her visit, violence interrupted in the nation. Initially, the British Government wanted to cancel the queen's visit, but she was adamant to go. The monarch's visit was considered a turning point for Ghana who had been influenced by the Soviets.

According to Dr. Moses Anafu, his father was invited to the reception when the queen visited Ghana. His dad was very impressed with Queen Elizabeth II after seeing that Kwame Nkrumah, former Ghana president, personally carried the umbrella behind Her Majesty.

"It had the biggest crowd he'd ever seen. My father said Kwame Nkrumah himself was carrying the umbrella behind the Queen," he recalled. "This old man then said: 'Yes, now I see what she really is. She is not a chief. She is the chief of chiefs.'"

"People admired the courage that it called for," Dr. Anafu added. "The Queen is the mainstay of the Commonwealth. If she had not given it her wholehearted support and love, it would have wilted on the vine."

Meanwhile, Sir Sonny Ramphal, the Commonwealth Secretary-General from 1975 to 1990, also shared the queen's instincts and dedication to Commonwealth.

"Prime Minister Harold Macmillan may have talked about the winds of change, but the Queen knew they were blowing," Sir Ramphal said. "The Queen has an instinct, a real understanding of what the new Commonwealth was about."

Historian Hugo Vickers also confirmed that Queen Elizabeth II visited Ghana to keep the nation as part of the Commonwealth. "She went there for very serious reasons. Nkrumah was flirting with the Russians to some extent and she wanted to keep Ghana in the Commonwealth and she did," Vickers said.

Queen Elizabeth danced with Nkrumah during her visit. Vickers also denied the rumors that the queen went to Ghana to snub Jackie Kennedy who made disparaging comments about the décor of the palace.