On Monday we bid a final, sorrowful goodbye to an extraordinary monarch.
The long wait willingly endured by hundreds of thousands of people as they queued to pay their last respects at her coffin in Westminster Hall tells us how sincerely Queen Elizabeth II was admired, respected and adored.
No other head of state on earth could generate such voluntary devotion, an enduring tribute to a woman who commanded allegiance through example rather than coercion, her good nature and sense of duty stealing the hearts of those who watched from afar as well as those who enjoyed being in her presence.
History will celebrate the Queen’s long life and reign yet today is a significant turning of a page, a new chapter in our national story.
When Her Majesty is laid to rest in St George’s Chapel, the English oak casket lowered into the Royal Vault to reunite her with the Duke of Edinburgh, the monarchy of King Charles III truly begins.
Exceptional
The King’s public gratitude to those who mourn his mother and wish him well as her successor is the start of a new era for a United Kingdom that has generously embraced him during visits to England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland these past few days.
Continuity blending with change may come to define the era of King Charles but today is primarily about saying thank you and goodbye to Queen Elizabeth, the only sovereign most of us have ever known.
There will be tears, undoubtedly. Yet hopefully a glass or two will be raised afterwards to celebrate an exceptional life shared with a grateful nation, Commonwealth and world.
The death of our monarch has brought out the very best of Britain, from dignified mourning across the land to the solemn pomp and pageantry we will see today.
This has been our nation’s final, grateful accolade to our lost Queen.
At the start of the Covid lockdown, a Queen who had served during the Second World War echoed Vera Lynn to rally a country terrorised by the dreaded virus.
This time, we know we shall never meet her again. But let us give thanks that we were lucky enough to enjoy Elizabeth II for 70 years.
