Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, died on 8 September, 2022 aged 96 at Balmoral Castle. This was a day that many did not look forward to, but knew would come one day. ‘London Bridge is down’ – those words meant the Queen had died and the plans put in place for the succession of the Crown and her funeral were to be carried out. Operation London Bridge is being carried out, and Operation Unicorn is being activated to carry her body from Scotland to London.
For many people under the age of 75, she is the only Monarch they have known, having recently celebrated her Platinum Jubilee of 70 years on the throne as the longest serving Monarch in the UK. Whether you are a monarchist, or a fence sitter, her death touches us all, and affects us in a way many did not anticipate. I listened to Boris Johnson’s speech, and he was one of the last people to see her alive while carrying out her duties. He said when the cameras had asked him a while back to talk about the Queen in the past, he couldn’t and asked them to leave. The thought of her not being in our lives was something we did not want to accept for she did seem eternal.
How can I describe it? There is a feeling of loss and emptiness with her gone as she marks the end of a stable and secure era. Shops closed out of a mark of respect, Royal Mail and the trains were due to strike and they have called off their actions as a mark of respect. Yesterday, I walked around in the rain – just walked, as I came to terms with her death. Newspapers had sold out already, shops had flags out and tributes to the Queen in the windows, and there was a respectful silence everywhere as people mourned in their own way. The black cabs that lined up on the Mall did so automatically as a sign of respect. You see, in the UK, despite our differences in politics or beliefs, we are united in our respect for the Queen and don’t need to be told what to do, think, or say.
In the UK, Royal Mail is swapping stamps to new barcoded ones and if you have old ones you must swap them within the next four months or they become invalid. Last week, I swapped some stamps for the new barcoded ones, but I hesitated while I looked at her head that adorned them, and wondered whether I should swap them all because her head would not be on the stamps soon. I put that thought to one side and sent them in to be swapped.
Earlier this week, I sorted out through some change for church, and I paused at an old 10p coin. I looked at her head and hesitated, thinking that I didn’t want to use it because I thought her head would not be on the coins one day and wanted to keep it. 72 hours later, the Queen had been pronounced dead.
You see, she was in our lives everyday and she was the anchor that united the Nation in times of grief and happiness. What she and Prince Phillip gave to the Nation was a sense of security and stability—they were reliable, dependable, and trustworthy. They were a constant in our lives in the UK— like a safe beacon of light that was on when you got home late, but now that has gone. Whenever a tragedy happened in the world, we could rely on the Queen to issue a statement on behalf of the Nation that was respectful, sensitive and dignified. She was ours, and she did us all proud.
I recall on my travels around the world, people would often say to me, ‘Say hello to the Queen for me!’ It sounds corny of course, but now I realise that’s how people in other countries saw her–as part of a wider family. Over the past 48 hours, I have seen how the rest of the world has paid tribute to her legacy with the Eiffel Tower switching off the lights, the Empire State Building lit up in purple and silver, the Brandenburg Gate adorns the Union Flag, and the Sydney Opera House has been lit up with an image of the Queen.
When Prince Phillip died on 9 April 2021, we knew it would only be a matter of time before the Queen joined him. Between them, they offered a stability in the UK and a sense of security that I can’t quite explain unless you grew up under their umbrella of protection. That has gone, which is why so many of us feel quite lost all of a sudden. She was the Head of State, and a granny to the Nation. Each of us will mourn her passing in our own way, and reflect on her legacy and the blanket of protection she provided for 70 years. In her passing, we have lost a little part of ourselves and what is normal in our lives. We are torn between sadness of her loss, and being proud of being British in that she was loved and respected around the globe, and represented our Nation with such pride and dignity.
She has carried out her duty and service to the People, and it is time for her to rest in peace and join her beloved husband, grandparents. parents, and sister. We mourn her passing, but celebrate her life and her legacy.
"Elizabeth II, Dei Gratia Britanniarum Regnorumque Suorum Ceterorum Regina, Consortionis Populorum Princeps, Fidei Defensor."
Ma’am, farewell, and thank you for your life of service. The first Christmas without you will be difficult, because for many of us your speech, and your attendance at church was a tradition and all that we have known our entire lives. Christmas 2022 will be bleak without your presence, but we know you shall be there in Spirit watching over us.
*As much as I would like to open up comments for people to express their condolences as I did with Prince Philip, unfortunately there are disrespectful trolls that exist. Therefore, I cannot do so as those comments would create harm and tarnish the respect that others wish to share. Please simply ‘heart’ the post to show your respects. Thank you.
https://www.royal.uk/mourning-and-condolence-arrangements-royal-residences