“The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon”. These are the shocking words that echoed through the United Kingdom just a month ago. Despite her age and her health concerns in recent times, the death of Queen Elizabeth II came as a surprise to many and caused a country to think, again, about its own image.
Looking back at those days and the late Queen’s life, it’s fascinating to think how the natural course of history played a part in all of this – how a single choice can change the narrative of everyone’s life. Elizabeth II was never born to be Queen, but perhaps she was always destined to become one. If her uncle, King Edward VIII, had not abdicated in 1936, her life would have been completely different. Perhaps one like her cousins, the Dukes of Kent and Gloucester, a life as an ordinary English countrywoman whose passion for horses and dogs would have been her main occupation. But history – or fate – had something bigger in store for her.
Much has been said about her in recent weeks by her prime ministers across Commonwealth Realms, world leaders, and ordinary people from all walks of life who had met her. What shines through those stories is her sense of humour, grace, dignity, humility and sense of duty that thrived and kept her going until the very end when she welcomed her 15th Prime Minister. That meeting with Liz Truss came just 48 hours before Her Late Majesty’s death.
The Queen was a woman much admired across the world. She seemed to be a distant figurehead in our ordinary lives, yet she was closer to all her subjects than any other public figure. In life, she gave a sense of stability and optimism with her presence. Now that her presence has gone, that sense will remain as we reflect on her dedication to this country.
We won’t ever know what she thought of herself, of her role as Queen and how much she enjoyed it but what is sure is that she loved this country through and through. And that love was great enough to put aside personal indulgences to the service of others for 70 years like no other monarch in British history before. From the English shores to the Scottish Highlands, she loved her people, and her people loved her dearly.
The Platinum Jubilee celebrations had been a reflection of that deep affection and love towards the late Queen, who might have been quite surprised at the sight of the huge crowds packing The Mall. It’s hard to imagine just how, over three months ago, the same streets of sombre words and tearful eyes in the days after her death were filled with joy, cheers and laughs as we all gathered to celebrate her Platinum Jubilee. Even then, despite her mobility issues, she showed her unwavering commitment to her people by joining the celebrations as much as she could. If the Jubilee celebrations were not enough, the flood of people from Aberdeen to London who lined the streets as she made her final journey home is a testament to the affection and deep admiration for her.
A month after her passing, as the nation and the Royal Family return to normality, her absence still feels surreal. I, like many across the country perhaps, had always taken the late Queen for granted, someone who will always be there as if she was immortal. In the House of Windsor, the show must go on, and that is perhaps the beauty of constitutional monarchy. Because of the length of her reign, the changes we have seen over the past month have been unprecedented, as if her passing could not stop the business of monarchy. We have welcomed a new King and Queen and a new Prince and Princess of Wales. There are already new coins and banknotes and stamps bearing the image of King Charles III are already planned, a sign that life goes on. Her image, however, will never stop living in our memories of her. Every encounter, every smile, every life she touched. After all, Elizabeth II was a friend, a mother, and a grandmother to all, and that is the reason her passing felt so personal. We will miss her infectious smile, her Christmas speeches, and her comedy sketches.
With her death, a chapter has closed. It was the brightest and richest chapter in British and world history: the end of an era, the second Elizabethan era. Now King Charles III faces the greatest challenge of his reign to steer the future of the monarchy and guarantee the survival of the House of Windsor, but undoubtedly he has the legacy of his mother, who, in death, united the country more than ever.
And if you allow me to say one final thing, this kingdom has always been greater at queens than kings, and Elizabeth II will not be the exception.
Indeed, she’ll be the greatest of them all.
