Marking the end of a 70-year era, 96-year-old beloved Queen Elizabeth passed away after serving the British monarchy since 1952. Prime Minister Liz Truss, received the Queen’s blessing only two days ago was especially moved by the great legacy earned over decades of benevolent rule over the British Empire. Saying she was “devastated,” Truss speaks for a majority of Britons who, for some time, saw the end coming, but couldn’t fathom the transition to 73-year-old Prince Charles, Elizabeth’s oldest son. “We are now a modern, thriving, dynamic nation,” Truss said outside No, 10 Downing Street, the Prime Minister’s residence. Truss knows, through thick-and-thin, with many British Prime Ministers coming-and-going, Queen Elizabeth was the one constant, forever maintaining the dignity of the British nation. “Stay Calm, and Carry On,” was the Queen’s motto to her subjects for generations.
Truss starts her rule with horrendous economic problems, dealing with hyperinflation, soaring prices in practically every commodity, seeing British citizens suffer, largely because they’ve rubber-stamped U.S. policy in Ukraine. Boycotting Russian oil and natural gas, 79-year-old President Joe Biden demanded that the Western Alliance go along with his Russian oil embargo, causing widespread shortages and skyrocketing prices. Truss has the Queen’s approval to serve as prime minister but does Truss have the Queen’s common sense to steer Britain in hard times? “She was the very spirit of Great Britain—and that spirit will endure,” Truss said, concluding, “God save the King,” a reference to Prince Charles ascending today as King Charles III to assure the orderly transition needed by British subjects. British citizens, as Truss says, have a full range of grief over Elizabeth’s death.
Unlike the United States, where no monarchy exists by design of Revolutionary War, where U.S. revolutionaries led by Gen. George Washington cast off British rule by King George. But the downside to not having a monarchy is the U.S. is all about politics not about a binding glue of tradition embodied in the monarch, especially with Queen Elizabeth. “This is our country’s saddest day,” said former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, not known for his reverence to the monarchy. Johnson said Elizabeth’s loss would provoke “a deep and personal sense of loss—far more intense, perhaps, that we expected,” Johnson said, anticipating a nationwide sense of grief. Elizabeth transcended the politics, providing the steady hand needed in times of political upheaval, especially during the tumultuous Brexit period that divided Britons on party lines. Through it all, Elizabeth provided the continuity to a divided nation.
Keir Starmer, head of Britain’s Labor Party, also expressed his condolences for what amounts to a monumental loss to Great Britain. “Above the clashes of politics, she stood not for what the nation fought over, but what it agreed upon. As Britain changed rapidly around her, this dedication became the still point our turning world,” said Starmer, also reflecting on the value of the monarchy in British society. “So as our great Elizabethan era comes to an end, we will honor the late Queen’s memory by keeping alive the values of public service she embodied,” reflecting more on the apolitical nature of the British monarchy to provide common ground to the most fiercely fought political battles. Johnson said that King Charles III would “amply do justice to her legacy,” keep Britons focused on what joins them, not what divides them. Charles, at 73, becomes the oldest royal to ascend to the thrown
Charles, who was born in 1948, was titled the Prince of Wales, waiting patiently in the wings, creating his own scandals along the way, especially with his marriage to Princess Diana. When it became clear that Charles could no longer stay married to Diana, the British public groaned, living through the painful breakup that left Queen Elizabeth embarrassed and the royal family scared. But through it all, Elizabeth shoed the kind of dignity that allowed her to keep her focus on her charitable activities and ceremonial responsibilities for the British government. Now that Charles ascends to the thrown, Camilla Parker Bowles, wife of Prince Charles, receives the title of Queen Consort. While no date has been set for Charles’ coronation, the focus for a grieving nation will be on the Queen’s funeral. Britons question whether Charles, at his advanced age, can take over the Queen’s mantle.
Death came peacefully at Balmoral Castle in Scotland for the 96-year-old monarch, who’s been in failing health for some time. Whatever the preparation for Britons, Truss said the country would be “devastated,” with most citizens knowing only Queen Elizabeth as their monarch. Getting used to Charles III won’t be easy, relying more on tradition to carry on an age-old British tradition. “The rock on which modern Britain was built,” said Truss, unable to contain her own grief over Elizabeth’s death. “Stay Calm and Carry On,” the Queen’s motto, grew into a way of life for British citizens enduring Brexit and other difficult challenges facing the shrinking British Empire. Queen Elizabeth embodied all that’s good in British society, devoted to spreading democracy and commerce around the globe. While no one knew the Queen’s politics, they knew she stood for tradition.
About the Author
John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He’s editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.
