After a long life well lived, I suspect Queen Elizabeth left the way she would have wanted, following in Prince Philip’s footsteps up the stairway to heaven after bidding farewell to her family.
As much as I loathe the term “fake news,” this is one instance where I wish it were true.
As I wrote at the time of the queen’s Jubilee in June, her subjects around the globe — myself included — have always shared the upmost respect for her regardless of differing political views.
Back home, it would be impossible not to think of her every time we licked a stamp or grabbed a handful of change. After 70 years on the throne, she was the one constant in most people’s lives. As she aged, she became our “fairy grandmother.”
And now she’s gone.
In modern times, when anyone in Britain can speak out without fear of losing their head, I can honestly say I’ve never heard or read a bad word about the queen. I can’t say the same for the rest of the Royals, but then virtually all of them have had at least one skeleton burst out of the closet at one time or another.
Until Princess Diana’s death in 1997, Brits tended to keep their feelings to themselves. One of my earliest memories was watching Winston Churchill’s funeral on our rented black-and-white television. Thousands of people lined the streets of London to pay their respects, but I don’t remember any tears.
Sadly, Diana’s death couldn’t have been more different. It literally opened the flood gates. Sobbing Brits placed flowers and tributes everywhere. As the images reverberated around the world, the grief was contagious. Here in America, Diana’s followers were just as heartbroken as we were.
It will be interesting to see how people react now that the queen has passed. Since she was 96, her death wasn’t completely unexpected but will people feel they can wear their grief on their sleeve with more than a black arm band?
My hope is the queen’s subjects will follow the standards she herself set. That they’ll be full of respect, appropriate sadness and dignity. I don’t expect to see a tell-all book on what she was really like behind the tea table.
What I do expect is hours of documentaries reminding us of just how tirelessly she worked for her country since she was a teenager. This is the legacy Prince Charles will have to follow after his coronation.
After so many years of watching TV clips of the queen’s coronation, it will be interesting to see someone new in the hot seat. Since the whole event is all about tradition, what modern differences will there be, if any?
I always imagined that one day we’d see King Charles III finally stepping up to take on the onerous responsibility he’s been preparing for his entire life. It made me draw comparisons with Charles ll, who also had a popular mistress in the form of Nell Gwyn, although they never went as far as marrying.
It remains to be seen if Charles keeps his name as king or chooses something else. If he goes with a new moniker, he’d be following in the footsteps of his grandfather King George Vl, whose given name was Albert (known affectionately as Bertie). Queen Victoria would have been Queen Alexandrina had she had used her first name rather than her middle.
I never met Queen Elizabeth and I’m guessing the vast majority of her subjects could not say they knew her well, if at all. Although she appeared in public regularly, any personal information was only offered on a need-to-know basis.
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Sometimes, as was the case after Diana’s death 25 years ago, this made her come across as cold, but I think it was part of her responsibility to the crown. When she ascended to the throne in 1952, the public didn’t have an insatiable need to know every single thing she did. It was what kept her apart from the rest of us, and gave her the air of mystery that made us respect her all the more.
Times, of course, have changed. The new king has always faced scrutiny, particularly over his complicated love life. And then there’s Queen Consort Camilla. Has she succeeded in shaking off her image as the third person in Charles and Diana’s marriage and becoming the epitome of a true love story that had a happily-ever-after outcome?
Only the future can tell. For now, I’m joining a country and commonwealth in mourning. I’ve been touched by the outpouring from American friends and contacts who understand I’m grieving for someone I never knew. I’m remembering a lifetime of service and the amazing example the queen set for us all.
Rest in peace, your majesty, and long live the king.
Hilary Decent is a British freelance journalist who moved to Naperville from England in 2007.