Farewell, Your Majesty.

 

It's taken a while to write this post.  

We all knew it was coming sooner or later, as it does to us all, but for all that, the news of HM Queen Elizabeth II's passing still shook me to the core.  It shouldn't have, of course.  She was 96 years old, a fine age for anyone to reach (and I hope I do) and apart from these unspecified "mobility issues" appeared in good health.  There had been rumours, rightly never commented on by Buckingham Palace, for a while, and she had started to look a little frail on her infrequent public appearances - but like most people I thought that was probably par for the course - I've never met anyone in their 90s so it's difficult for me to judge.

Then suddenly, after the first announcement at lunchtime that there was "a concern", in only a few hours she was gone.  It was even quicker (at least in my memory) than Prince Phillip's end.....and am I the only person who believes that a light went out in her life that day, and the strength and health began to fade? Losing you life partner like that, after more than 70 inseparable years, must be an absolute hammer blow, and one most people I'm sure would not recover from.  Whatever she was, the Queen was human, like all of us, and subject to the same pains and emotions and sadness at any bereavement: Phillip's death was not merely a passing, for her it was The End, in my view.

I won't go on about the records - the length of her reign, places visited and all that stuff: there have been more than enough obituaries and op-eds in the press to cover that better than I.  But quite simply, she was the real constant in my life, there from its very beginning.  Only my two elderly sisters and a pair of cousins, all of whom for very practical reasons of distance and cost I sadly see infrequently, can match that.  Her Maj became Queen in 1952, and her Coronation was in early June 1953, when I was just a couple of months old.  So for my entire life, it has been her face on stamps and coin and banknotes, her voice giving the Christmas Message and various other important broadcast speeches.  Her smiling face gracing the Royal Variety Show (in the days when it was Must See TV), attending the Epsom Derby and Royal Ascot, and opening exhibitions, hospitals and God knows what else.  Prime Ministers and Popes, Archbishops and Presidents came and went, and she greeted them all graciously, whether she liked and approved of them or not.

I never saw her, let alone met her, but often walked past Buckingham Palace on my way to and from Victoria Station, when I worked in London, and invariably I glanced across to see if she was at home (the Royal Standard flying being the sign), and for whatever reason - and I have no idea what it was - smiled when she was in residence.  I followed her comings and goings, and those of her kids - their marriages and kids and divorces, joys and scandals and tragedies - with if not exactly pleasure at least some interest, but would never call myself a Monarchist or a Royalist.  The Family was a figurehead for the country and the British Commonwealth, somehow set above the rest of us, but that was simply how things worked in my country.  

I remember a time, in the early 70s, having a blazing row with a couple of mates in the pub one lunchtime: they were both card carrying Labour Party members, verging on Communists, and were of the opinion that the British should follow Lenin's example and line our Royal Family up against the wall outside Buckingham Palace and shoot them, as they were privileged beyond belief, didn't deserve all their wealth - which should of course be re-distributed (but neither knew how) - and contributed nothing at all to the British Way of Life.  I thought that a bit extreme, and told them so, citing (as have many before and since) the huge amount of money the sale of Royal souvenirs and other tourist spending delivered to the Treasury even then......  It all got very heated, I remember, but we parted still friends and never mentioned it again.  I wonder what happened to them, and what their thoughts are now, fifty years later.....

With her death, the Second Elizabethan Age has ended, and I wonder how historians of the future will judge it.  Highly, I would imagine: a largely peaceful time with huge technical advances, the arts flourishing as never before, and (by and large) the highest ever standard of living.  There have been losers, of course: our involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan was ill-judged, the Troubles in Northern Ireland a terrible stain on the nation (and still casting a shadow in these post-Brexit days), and anyone who suggests the North-South divide wasn't exacerbated post-Thatcher simply hasn't been taking any notice.  None of which can be blamed on the Queen: as the Head of State in our constitutional Monarchy the elected Parliament (getting worse with each passing General Election) she simply rubber stamps the decisions made by that Parliament.  I strongly suspect she recognised those ills, and her sympathies lay with her public and not her Parliament......

She did her best, extraordinarily well for 70 years, in trying circumstances, and will be sorely missed.

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If the events immediately after her death were emotional, the following days were more so.  The Family drew close together, even the black sheep Princes  Andrew and Harry heading to Balmoral and then back to London the next day (Harry travelling alone).  There followed a succession of walkabouts in major cities, meeting and greeting people and receiving the best wishes and condolences (and in Charles' case the odd kiss) with good spirits and kind words.  Proclamations were made to cement the change of Monarch in scenes never seen by the public before.  It was all history in the making, and fascinating stuff.

The State Funeral was of course a quite extraordinary spectacle, lasting much of the day, moving from Buckingham Palace to Westminster, the Hall and Abbey adjacent to Parliament, then out to Windsor Castle for the final commitment.  Much of it took place at a slow-march pace, as the Family walked slowly behind the gun carriage surrounded by the massed ranks of Army, Navy and Air Force, all military bands and bagpipes.  The service in the Abbey moved me close to tears, but I could do nothing but watch it through.  Then the slow drive out from Central London to Windsor, and all along the route crowds of people gathering, showing their respects, tossing flowers onto the passing hearse. And the final ceremony in St. George's Chapel, with the whole Family, Charles most of all, looking gaunt and bereft as the coffin was gently lowered into the vault below.....  It stirred memories of my own parents' funerals, and my own feelings of loss (they still come in the cold dark night sometimes instead of sleep) and a few tears came.

And it was over.  

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The Crown passes to her eldest son, who is now King Charles III.  

As Prince of Wales he divided opinion, and was often criticised for "interfering" in politics, in the sense that he had the temerity to speak out about certain causes that, in his view, were not being taken seriously enough.  Environmental issues, climate change, helping young people (especially underprivileged Inner City kids) find a direction in life through the Prince's Trust charity, organic farming and a host of others often led to derision.  It's interesting that now most of them are at the forefront of political life and public concern - not only in Britain, but globally.  It seems he was well ahead of his time.  

As King, he must take more of a back seat, as his mother did, and he has admitted this and made it perfectly clear, many times, that he will do just that.  But I have a sneaking feeling that, at his weekly Prime Ministerial Audience, he will continue to champion those same causes, but with more subtlety, as a constituent part of the help and advice that is the entire reason for the meetings.  And for my part I have absolutely no problem with that, given the lack of political talent and common sense that riddles Parliament these days, on all sides!

After serving the longest apprenticeship in history, he knows exactly what is expected of him and I have no doubt he will follow his mother's template - but with subtle modernizing differences.  The live broadcasting of the Privy Council Meeting that approved his Accession to the throne, his prompt speeches of reassurance - again televised - to Parliament, both in London and Edinburgh, and his immediate visits to Northern Ireland and Wales, all before the State Funeral, suggest his will be a more open and public Monarchy, more in touch with ordinary people.  He has always enjoyed getting close to we the people, talking to us, asking questions, and from the minute he arrived back at Buckingham Palace on the Friday his casual walkabouts have demonstrated that nothing has changed in this respect.

Someone suggested that it's all down to his PR advisors, but in my view there is more to it than that.  His parents (and arguably grandparents during World War 2) started the Royal Walkabout, and he has grown up with it, engaging himself during his youth and ever since.  He understands that the majority of people get a kick out of being close to the Family, seeing Royalty in the flesh so to speak, whether they be Royalist or not, and his sons and grandkids are doing their bit as well.  I think they genuinely enjoy it as much as the people do.

It will be interesting to see how he develops, but I believe he will be a fine King.

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Let me pay tribute as well to the media, in particular the much maligned BBC News outlet.  Their coverage was outstanding, their camera work perfect, and the historical and personal insights provided by their numerous studio guests and commentators fascinating.  BBC World News is my go-to news outlet at the best of times, and in coverage of events like this they have no equal in my humble opinion.  That said: by virtue of where I live the channel has a monopoly, no other British channel has a presence on my satellite package, so I don't get to see what's on offer from ITV, Channels 4 and 5, Sky or GB News - but I find it difficult to see them matching the BBC.  Sorry if that upsets anyone!

As to newspapers, again I have a limited choice.  I tend to go with The Guardian, mainly because it's the only major provider that still doesn't operate a paywall - news is free with the option to voluntarily donate.  They also don't really try and ram their proprietor's views and those of a political party down your throat in the way say the Mirror does for the Labour Party, and everyone else does for the Tory Party.  

The Guardian's coverage of the events is what I would I expect from the paper: detailed and well written reporting, superb photo spreads, and some pieces written by their team of columnists that, while mostly respectful, did pose questions (for instance about how the Queen might be remembered in some of the old Empire and Commonwealth countries in Africa and the Caribbean that broke away and replaced her as Head of State).  Sycophantic the paper is not - another good reason to like it.

Other papers were less generous, printing click-bait scribbles - like for instance the furore over a couple of tv presenters allegedly jumping the queue viewing the Lying in State: the articles were completely one sided, lacked any kind of fact checking and merely prompted a hail of social media abuse demanding the presenters' sackings.  It took a full three days before a clarification came from both their channel, the Government and the Palace that showed they had done nothing of sort.  Of course, no apologies have been forthcoming from the rags that libelled the reporters, nor from anyone on social media for their over-reaction.  Sad, but to be expected.  

I'm afraid it left a very sour taste in my mouth. 

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A final thought.

Throughout the Queen's reign, until his death last year, Prince Philip was there for her, walking a couple of paces behind her, sharing jokes and smiles with her, and helping her get through times good and bad.  Inevitably, the internet has made the most of that, with countless memes featuring the couple getting back together in the Afterlife.

My Christian upbringing makes me hope that there is indeed something to look forward to after death (even if it remains still the Great Unknown in my life because sadly I still can't quite turn that hope into a firm belief), and that such meetings are commonplace.  If any couple deserves to share a cloud somewhere it's this one.