RHYS: I had a post all set up and planned for today and then the news broke, a few hours after we landed in London. Of course we are not surprised. 96 is a venerable age and we knew the queen's health had been failing recently. But on Tuesday she was up and about and greeted the new prime minister, so it must have been some sudden health event that caused the whole family to rush to her bedside.
I don't think I have fully taken it in yet. The queen was on the throne for almost my whole life. I watched the coronation from our elementary school classroom, as most of us didn't have TVs yet. And she was so young--not much older than my granddaughter, the queen's namesake, who just graduated from college and is still very much a young girl in many ways. And Elizabeth was handed the responsibility for a whole world-wide commonwealth, always to appear gracious and smiling, never to say the wrong thing, always to appear interested when facing a boring speech. And in all those years she never put a foot wrong.
I have always felt a personal connection to the queen. When I was a child my father ran a paper factory and exhibited at the British Industries Fair every year. ON the day before it opened to the public members of the royal family visited and chatted with the exhibitors. We met most of the royals .
When I was a young woman I had the tremendous privilege of having tea with the queen. I was a student when the queen came to open the new science building at my college and six of us were invited to join the queen for tea. Just six of us and the queen, alone in a room. She put us at our ease immediately, chuckled, told us stories and made us feel at ease. She had the most radiant smile!
And what a hard working woman! Those who say the royal family are spongers who live off pubic money should take a look at her schedule. Until recently she made about 300 official visits a year. That's almost one a day. Now I go on book tours. A week or two flying around the country, meeting readers. At the end of this I'm exhausted. Two weeks. She did. this kind of personal appearance every day, every year.
I suppose writing about her fictional relative and including her real relatives in my stories has made me feel some kind of connection even today.
I can't believe she's gone. So we are in London at a historic time. I will be reporting in from my Facebook page if you are interested.
I have been asked if I am sad. Yes, I am sad for us. But for her in a way I'm glad that she passed away peacefully with no lingering illness, no growing dementia, no pain. With her loved ones at her side. At a place she loved. Let us hope she is now reunited with her beloved Phillip.
I didn't think I'd cry, but I am. I think most people in the country are also. God speed, your Majesty.
I so admired her commitment to duty, her love of country, her presence. She stayed in Britain during WWII and joined the Army and did her part to enhance morale during a very dangerous time. My parents always loved her for that role and I am grateful because the WWII victory meant that my mom was able to go work in England for a year in 1950 where she met my dad. I'm feeling grateful for the life of Queen Elizabeth.
ReplyDeleteRhys, your words touched me more than the multitudes of "public" messages. I admired her for her sense of duty and and sacrifice, putting the good of country before herself. May she rest eternally in peace.
ReplyDeleteYour lovely comments about the blessed way in which she passed especially touched me. Thank you for that insight.
ReplyDeleteRhys, Queen Elizabeth HAS been the Queen all of my life. Although an American, my family were/are Anglophiles. My Mom, who would have been 96 this year if she’d lived until now, would have been as sad as I. An end of an era in SO many ways. I had a very rare martini tonight to toast her life and reign. May her memory be a blessing.
ReplyDeleteOne of the very first things I read, apart from the basic primer-type stuff required at school was a serialized book called "The Little Princesses", written by their nanny, Marion Crawford. I became an avid follower of everything she did from then on. What a well-lived life!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Rhys, for sharing your memories. This has been such a shock. She has been Queen my entire life and I am 67 years old. Teri
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely tribute.
ReplyDeleteThis is a lovely tribute to a great lady, Rhys . . . may she rest in peace.
ReplyDeleteReading the words “King Charles III will return to London” made me do a mental double take. There’s a king now! Like most everyone, I have only ever heard “queen.” (Susan C Shea)
ReplyDeleteYes, I was shocked to learn that Queen Elizabeth II has passed away. She was the epitome of duty, grace and endurance. Canada's government is still working on how to mourn her as well as how to implement all the changes her passing has on our Parliament, laws, currency, etc.
ReplyDeleteRhys, what a day to arrive in London! I look forward to reading your posts on Facebook. The two of us sat teary-eyed and sniffling in front of the TV news last night. There cannot be enough tributes to this queen.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your tribute.
ReplyDeletethank you for this Rhys. Just the fact that she was a public figure for so long under the glaring lights of the world is astonishing!
ReplyDeleteAdmired her for many years. Wonderful post and you were so lucky to have met her!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much Rhys, I’m sure you are tired and a bit down. I heard on the radio while driving and found myself with a wet face trying to concentrate on the road. Like you the Queen has been a constant j my life, a person to try and emulate. What an example she has provided to follow - Celia
ReplyDeleteThank you, Rhys. I, too, have cried at the passing of the Queen. She was a good woman in a complex role in a complicated world. May she rest in peace after decades of service.
ReplyDeleteA beautiful tribute, Rhys. Is it a comfort to be in your birthplace at a momentous and sad time like this? I imagine it might be.
ReplyDeleteElizabeth was the same age as my mother, and they looked similar. Mommy used to talk about what it was like to learn about this princess and then queen when she was young. I've always had a soft spot for Elizabeth in my heart.
The world mourns the Queen as an elegant person of duty and prestige, a person who was always head held high going on with life gave to her. There are three things that I saw that made her a real person to me. There was a ‘Royal Portrait’ of the family a while ago on CBC. She was being followed around in the company of William and Harry as young children. They were acting like young children everywhere, and generally being a nuisance. There was a car in the area, and just like any grandmother, she whipped off and grabbed them and brought them back to safety. In another glamourous event a not long ago, Prince Charles dressed in his tux leans over and calls her Mommy. She smirks. Then yesterday Prime Minister Trudeau, who has known her all his life held emotions in check as he calls her one of his most favourite people in the world.
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely tribute, Rhys. I thought of you when I heard the news because I knew you were in England.
ReplyDeleteI heard about the concern when I took Koda to the groomer yesterday. I was shocked. Like you, I knew she was frail, but I hadn't heard any whisper of an issue until that moment.
She lived through 14 American presidents, 15 prime ministers, and 7 popes. She epitomized grace and dignity. I've said it before, the world will not see a woman, much less a person, like her again.
I heard there was a rainbow at one point last night. I'm sure that means she is with her loved ones again and at peace.
When I heard yesterday I teared up, I suspected she was failing because of the family gathering at Balmoral, but still, when it happened... oh goodness, what a sad day. Joyce W.
ReplyDeleteBeautifully written. How incredible for you to have met her personally. I loved her.
ReplyDeleteI’ve been watching SKY since yesterday morning, watching history being made. The Queen has been in my life since I can remember, the princesses in the palace part of my childhood fantasies, then occupying so much of that childhood life. Along with the rest of us, I am bereft.
ReplyDeleteBut I’m thankful for that last glimpse , three days ago, dressed in her warm cardie and pretty tartan skirt, smiling at us all. And perhaps saying farewell
A beautiful tribute!
ReplyDeleteLovely tribute… serendipitous that you are in London…Eternal rest to Queen Elizabeth…God Save the King.
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely tribute, Rhys. To have had tea with the Queen, wow. That has to be such a special memory. And meeting the royals due to your father's running the paper factory. Writing a book series connected to the royal family. You really do have amazing connections to the Queen and the royal family.
ReplyDeleteQueen Elizabeth's dedication and service to the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth never wavered. She was the very definition of commitment. I don't think we will ever see the likes of her again. I'm not saying King Charles III won't do a good job. It's just that Queen Elizabeth II can never be replicated.
I was struck by a quote from the Archbishop of Canterbury: She demonstrated to the whole world a life of service can be happy and meaningful. There are very few people who can say the same.
ReplyDeleteAgree, Julia.
DeleteLovely tribute. How neat to have gotten to have tea with her.
ReplyDeleteLooking at the video of her meeting with Liz Truss on Tuesday-- because she always wore gloves, we never saw the color of her hands. Her circulation was shutting down, poor lady. But always game, and warm, and vibrant. Britain was blessed to have had her as its monarch.
Thank you for the lovely tribute, Rhys. I was thinking of you as I was watching the news coverage yesterday. The world will not be the same without her. Such devotion to service and duty, and she was always kind. She sets us an example of a live well lived.
ReplyDeleteYou knew it was coming but it was still a shock when Queen Elizabeth died. I find myself depressed as people of my parents' generation will soon be gone forever.
ReplyDeleteEnjoyed your close memories at this sad time. You will be our eye on history~
ReplyDeleteYes, she was one of a kind. And indeed, a life of service, and well-lived. We can all learn from her graciousness and sacrifice and stalwart attitude--think of all she went through. And Rhys, it was meant to be that you are there.
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely tribute, Rhys. To think of a woman with her sort of presence and influence, reigning for 70 years, it truly is remarkable. There'll never be another like her.
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely tribute, Rhys. Elizabeth was on the throne for my entire life. I was born a few months after she became Queen. It's hard to imagine a world without her.
ReplyDeleteLike you, I am grateful that she was not dogged by dementia or a long-term debilitating illness, and that she is with her Philip. It's sad that Charles has to take the body blow in public without time to privately mourn or assimilate the event. In some ways, I'm sure he came to terms with it long ago, but the woman was his mother, and from all accounts, they were close. My heart goes out to him. He has big shoes to fill even if they were on tiny feet.
Thank you, Rhys, for your lovely reminiscences of Her Majesty. She had been on the throne since I was a young child. I remember watching her coronation on an old black & white tv. My deep admiration and respect has been steady and unwavering since that day. In my mind, she is Great Britain. I cried with regret and relief for her that her struggle has ended. I'm glad that her whole family was near her at the end.
ReplyDeleteAs a final comment, I wish Charles had selected another regnal name. There's not a great history to that choice.
But after all, his parents chose the name for him, not unknowingly--and we wouldn't want the press styling him "the king, formerly known as Prince [Charles]," would we?
DeleteRhys, so sorry. Eliza has about ten friends visiting from Great Britain. We were all together when the news broke. They're young - early twenties - so there was more shock than emotion. But still. Very somber.
ReplyDeleteRhys… thank you for sharing - what a special tribute. -Hallie
ReplyDeleteThis is Diana. I learned of this sad event just as I was leaving for the airport. Thank you for sharing your personal story. I was blessed to have seen her in person when I visited Edinburgh many years ago.
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