By Andy Silvester
It was – as we knew it would be, as it had to be – flawless.
As they say, ‘we do these things well,’ and we did. With the eyes of the world on London, the capital was a glorious blend of the modern and the traditional – a diverse crowd that looked and felt like twenty-first century Britain, yet surrounded by the pomp and circumstance of centuries-old rituals.
For the Royal Family and for the nation, this is a time of real loss.
The thousands of well-wishers who came to pay their respects and the millions who watched at home, the Queen represented something very special – a sovereign who commanded respect and indeed love not through the wielding of untrammeled power but through her commitment to duty and public service. Her life, her permanence, has been a rock at the heart of a changing Britain, and in her quiet example she has provided comfort and stability in a world that can so often appear uncertain.
Change is hard, and difficult, but it is inevitable. The Queen understood that and embraced it, embodying the increasing openness and tolerance that has marked the last 70 years of Britain’s story. She has been our steady hand on the tiller, even when we didn’t entirely realise it ourselves.
Her Majesty lived through the fall of the Empire and the rise of a modern Britain, through our most noble fight in World War II and through our search for identity in a post-colonial world. As a living link to our history she was invaluable – as she is herself now entering the history books, it is her values that will endure in the collective memory. There is no doubt that Charles will live up to his mother’s example, but she will be most sorely missed.
May Her Majesty the Queen rest in peace, and may God save the King.
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