The Queen is dead... Long live the King.

[curiouswombat]

I once wrote a story called 'A Powerful Absence' - I think that phrase sums up the effect of the death of Elizabeth II.

It is very strange to realise that I will never again hear, or sing, 'God save the Queen.' Whereas, up until now, I had never heard or sung 'God save the King'.

Here her title was Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Lord of Mann. She attended Tynwald as Lord of Mann, and all the local tributes here include that title. A former Chief minister said, in his tribute, that whenever, or wherever, he met her she always asked, "And how is my island?"

She had looked so frail in recent photos, but even so her death is a shock. I am glad though, that what reports we do have, of what is such an intimate family moment and yet such a major public event, make it sound as if her death was very like my own Mum's in the end, peacefully, in her bed, with her children at her side.

I think I like this image best of those I have seen this morning;




She is walking behind a lady called Bernadette Williams, the Sword Bearer for Tynwald. This sword was her sign of office here. They are walking the ceremonial way to Tynwald Hill where The Queen was to preside over the annual, open-air, Tynwald court. The sun was shining, she looked happy to be there, Prince Phillip looks as if he is trying not to laugh - and I do like to see the police officers in their summer helmets!

On a more irreverent note, I did find myself wondering whether having to officially ask Liz Truss to form a government might have been the last straw for someone whose first Prime Minister was Winston Churchill, and who would, I think, have seen no need whatsoever to shorten the name Elizabeth to Liz for anyone but her husband.

Oh - and you know that this will be one of those 'Where were you, what were you doing, when you heard... 'moments? Well we were not watching live TV at the time; the phone rang, I answered it, and it was Revd. Dawn, who began "I think we will need to put something onto the website straight away."

The conversation then went like this; "About what?" "The Queen's death!" "Oh! Has she died?"

Revd. Dawn then slightly flustered and apologising to me in case it has been an unpleasant shock for me that she broke the news so abruptly, and me trying to tell her that's fine but can she tell me what she wants putting onto the website quickly, as I am about to go out to a meeting. And no, it is unlikely to have been cancelled at such short notice as some people would already have been on the way when the news broke!

Comments

[shirebound]

A former Chief minister said, in his tribute, that whenever, or wherever, he met her she always asked, "And how is my island?"

Thank you for sharing that. :)

[curiouswombat]

Nice, isn't it?

[cmcmck]

Shouldn't it be 'The Lord is dead, long live the Lord' with you?

She was, of course, 'Lilibet' so I don;t think she was too bothered by shortenings.

That said, anyone who shortens my real world first name dies!

[curiouswombat]

Ah - but I thought this made a better header :)

And I still think using your childhood name as your official one would not be her choice - after all she didn't choose to be Queen Lilibet... Or Queen Liz, which I gather is what Prince Philip, but only Prince Philip, called her.

[just_ann_now]

♥

[curiouswombat]

❤️

[ysilme]

I once wrote a story called 'A Powerful Absence' - I think that phrase sums up the effect of the death of Elizabeth II.
I fully agree!

[curiouswombat]

Thank you.

[cairistiona]

It will be very strange, even for Americans, to adjust to a king in Britain. Queen Elizabeth was such a force for all of our lives, it really does come as a shock that she's no longer with us.

[curiouswombat]

She has simply always been there. But she has been gently handing the reins over to her son for the past few years, and I can see King Charles bringing his own dignity to the role, and training up William fairly seriously as he cannot guarantee to live to his late 90s.

[elwendell]

Having got the news that family were rushing to be with her, I turned off the news and switched to TV series. I think, subconsciously, I did not want to know that she had died. It brought back too many memories of my Mum. I eventually heard via Kimbra's mother-in-law, via a message of condolence on fb.

[curiouswombat]

I absolutely recognise that feeling.

[kaishin108]

That is a great photo.

Your irreverent note; it crossed my warped mind that meeting with Truss killed her, omg. I think Covid is eating my normal brain cells. But then G said, I would never let that Truss lady come over!

Just stupid remarks from the US, hah.

What a loss to your country and the world. Yes, A Powerful Absence.

hugs from across the pond...

[curiouswombat]

Gillo has just suggested that perhaps the Queen just hung on long enough to see the back of Boris Johnson!

The Queen has been there all through my life - it will be odd to think of there being a king.

[kaishin108]

Good point, the back of Boris Johnson, ha hah!

Right, your whole life! I hope things continue to run smoothly with everything else that is going on.

[gillo]

Love the picture.

Rather than Truss being the last straw, I prefer to think she hung on determinedly to see off Johnson (no relation, I hope) so that he would not be able to posture and grandstand over her death and funeral.

It feels odd. I confess I cried a little, though I was in Oxford with an academic playreading group, so didn't have time to fuss much.

[curiouswombat]

It is a lovely picture, isn't it.

I think you might have a point - she probably hung on to deprive him of the opportunity to make florid, latin-riddled, speeches. Definitely no relation!

I have felt a lump in my throat a couple of times in the past couple of days.

[gillo]

It's a huge change. Very few remember a king. And she worked hard to present the façade of what she felt was needed.

[kaishin108]

That is a very good point! :-)