Queenless
(Photo from Pixabay)
The UK is queenless. Queen Elizabeth II held on to see one more Prime Minister out and one more new Prime Minister in, but she died today.
Most of us cannot remember the UK without her as Queen.
I don’t get into debates about whether or not the monarchy should be abolished. I’ll only say a bit about her.
It seems to me that the way the role of the UK’s monarch is defined and constrained in the modern era, it’s a nearly impossible job. Queen Elizabeth was head of state, yet had no governmental power. That must have been immensely frustrating.
Her role involved a relentless schedule in which she had to represent the country with dignity and grace, with the faintest hint of a political opinion forbidden. Everything she wore and said and did was closely analyzed for hints of a scandalous crossing of that line. She saw that role as her duty of service to the people of the UK and the Commonwealth, and she kept going to the very end. She did as much as she could within bizarre bounds.
She earned respect for her steady dedication. Including mine. I am genuinely sorry she’s gone.
Oh dear - your post was the first I'd heard - I had the radio off this afternoon. She seemed almost immortal - and it's a blessing she passed peacefully and without a long illness preceding that final journey. I've watched "The Crown" and other movies about her and the royal family. I was never happy with the way Princess Diana was treated, but I did have great respect for the Queen and the role she had to play, even when it was painful. Her role in WWII was incredible. My condolences to your countrymen and women.
Her loss saddens me. She witnessed, and lived through, so much history that her loss is immeasurable for that alone.