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We were watching when television cameras at Balmoral showed the Queen inviting Liz Truss to form a government. It was a brief picture, but Maureen turned to me and said: "The Queen's looking more and more frail since Philip died: I can't help wondering how much longer she's got in this world." As this world now knows, it was barely a couple of days.
Whilst I commiserate with the Windsor family on their sad, but surely not unexpected, loss, I did not meet, or ever see in person, Queen Elizabeth throughout her entire reign; so I shall no more travel to place flowers against the wall of one of her palaces than I would go up the road to put flowers against the garden wall of a suddenly demised old neighbour I had never known.
I regret her departure though.
I think what you saw was what you got with her. She saw through the creepers and had a degree of sympathy for the army of tongue-tied nobodies who landed in front of her year by year. I think she would have been both touched and appalled at the colossal reaction to her death. I think, too, she would have (probably always has) seen the funny side of what this country does better than any other in the world: producing an army of determined somebodies, in a variety of suits and uniforms, to carry out weird and wonderful routines because they can. Nothing stops it.
In her own steady way I think Queen Elizabeth II has ensured nothing ever will. That's Britain.
I hope in death she will find whatever she hoped she might and will rest in peace.
I shall always think of her as an elderly lady who did me no harm.
I think what you saw was what you got with her. She saw through the creepers and had a degree of sympathy for the army of tongue-tied nobodies who landed in front of her year by year. I think she would have been both touched and appalled at the colossal reaction to her death. I think, too, she would have (probably always has) seen the funny side of what this country does better than any other in the world: producing an army of determined somebodies, in a variety of suits and uniforms, to carry out weird and wonderful routines because they can. Nothing stops it.
In her own steady way I think Queen Elizabeth II has ensured nothing ever will. That's Britain.
I hope in death she will find whatever she hoped she might and will rest in peace.
I shall always think of her as an elderly lady who did me no harm.
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