The End of an Era
It’s the day we all knew was inevitable, and yet we never believed would truly come. The passing of Her Royal Highness Queen Elizabeth II. With a reign spanning seventy years she is the only monarch that most people remember, someone who’s been a constant throughout our lives in a world that has seen unprecedented change since 1952. It’s always strange to think that her first Prime Minister was none other than Winston Churchill. And it still feels strange that we will be singing God Save the King from now on and likely for the rest of most of our lives with William and George following King Charles III.
It wasn’t that long ago that we were all celebrating her Platinum Jubilee earlier in the year, but although she was able to participate in some of the celebrations it was quite clear that she was slowing down and that final photo of her at Balmoral swearing in Liz truss as Prime Minister just two days before she died showed how frail she had become. But I think that will be an enduring image of her, doing her duty until the last. Certainly, an example we can all follow.
Personally, I’d always regretted not being home when she came to visit Hitchin, the town I grew up in, for her Diamond Jubilee a decade ago. There is actually a local connection as her mother’s family home is in the nearby St Paul’s Warden Bury. So, I was extra determined to try and see her this year as I knew it would be my final chance. Thankfully I did manage to take the photo of her and the other members of the royal family on the balcony after Trooping the Colour which you saw in that previous blog.
During the period of mourning, I went to London twice to pay my respects, on the day after at Buckingham Palace and then at Hyde Park for the day of the funeral itself. For the latter I waited the best part of five hours to get a five second front row view of the hearse, but the image of the crown jewels sitting on top of the flagged draped coffin will live with me until the day I die. Seeing the Queen off on her journey to Windsor as she left London for the last time was special, and doubly so for sharing it with so many other people who also waited patiently for the moment. Chatting away for hours with something deeply in common.
Now the time has come again when we have a King and all the tangible changes that come with that. It won’t be long until we have all new stamps and money, see new post-boxes with CIIIR instead of EIIR, as well as the numerous uniforms of army & police that will need updating. It won’t all happen overnight, but I think we will really see the stark difference when Charles is crowned in the not-too-distant future. Despite the many doubts people has about him becoming King, he seems to have done well to win people over through his initial address to the nation and greeting the crowds who’d come to mourn his dear mama. Hopefully he continues to surprise people. God save the King.
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