Yes, it certainly is the end of an era. Expected, but it's still hit me quite hard. She's been queen for all but the first couple of years of my life, I'd think the most famous person on earth & she's met just about every important person ever. I'm a bit anti-royal, but had to totally respect her, I don't think she ever put a foot wrong. This really is a historic day. My mum died two years ago (aged 90) & I'm glad she wasn't alive when the queen died, as it would have really, really upset her.
Thank you for sharing that story. I am not "pro" or "anti" royal, but I know one thing for sure: if you have a monarchy, the British monarchy is the model to look up to.
I am not really a royalist and I wonder what the future holds for the monarchy. To say that Queen Elizabeth will be a tough act to follow is the greatest of understatement. I am sitting alone at work listening to the radio and I am completely stunned yes an era has come to an end.
What a life she led! I read that 90% of Brits have known no other monarch during their lives, which isn't surprising because her coronation took place in 1952.
King Charles III has a tough act to follow. I hope he can henceforth do a better job of keeping his opinions to himself.
Also, it's almost surreal that the UK has a new Prime Minister at the same time. UK citizens must be reeling from such an abrupt change in both the monarchy and the political regime.
Politics are shifting sands we have had 4 prime minister's in 6 years but the Queen is something else As I said I am not a royalist too much Irish blood but her dignity and dedication to a service she was not born to is awe inspiring. Had it not been for Edward VIII her life would have taken a different turn.
My oldest brother was 2 weeks old at the time of the royal wedding, another was born less than a handful of months after Royal Wedding hit the cinema, and I came along in the 4th year of her reign. Man oh man she’d just been doing the royal schtick for as long as we’ve been around and we ain’t no spring chickens! What a time to go. The world’s as upside down as Fred Astaire in that flick.
We grew up reading Fairy Tales of Kings and Queen and Princeses. So knowing that a real Queen existed seemed facinating to me a young impressionable age. She led an extraordinary life and role. RIP.
Despite meeting many minor or incidental “celebrities”, the royals have always been primarily about ordinary people who have achieved things out of the glare of publicity.
One of my fond memories is singing God Save The Queen every morning in my Grade 1 class.
We did the same thing here only called it My Country ‘Tis of Thee. Took years to discover from whom we stole the melody.
'You' didn't really steal it. The words and music had been around for quite a while before it became, by a circuitous route, 'our' national anthem at the time of Victoria's accession to the throne. The article below seems to be a reasonable one in tracing its history, even though it was apparently written for the previous change of monarch in 1953:
Despite meeting many minor or incidental “celebrities”, the royals have always been primarily about ordinary people who have achieved things out of the glare of publicity .
I'm confused by this statement. The royal family is as far from "ordinary people who have achieved things out of the glare of publicity" as one could possibly comprehend.
Despite meeting many minor or incidental “celebrities”, the royals have always been primarily about ordinary people who have achieved things out of the glare of publicity .
I'm confused by this statement. The royal family is as far from "ordinary people who have achieved things out of the glare of publicity" as one could possibly comprehend.
About MEETING ordinary people who have achieved things. There were many garden parties at Buckingham Palace where anyone who had done good work for their community could be invited, for instance.
Another example: My late brother (a 30-year paramedic) was introduced to the Queen as he was chosen to represent his ambulance service. There’s a picture of him looming over her which we generally have on display with other family photos. Not unpacked fully yet after a recent house move, otherwise I’d show it here.
I saw a clip the other day talking about how she had relaxed restrictions and had opened up Buckingham palace for lunches n functions to celebrate n reward certain groups. They showed some chelsea pensioners having lunch there and a war vet about 90 with his medals, almost in tears of happiness, saying "Who wouldve thought i wouldve ended up having lunch with the Queen?!"
