In Memoriam: Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II died this morning at her ancestral home of Balmoral in Scotland surrounded by her children and family. Ascending the throne from her father in 1953, she ruled for 70 years having just celebrated her platinum jubilee. Doctors had advised her to rest today and had her under medical supervision. The announcement was released by the palace around 10:30 a.m. Pacific Standard Time.

For four generations of people, the Queen was a constant in their lives. Anyone born after 1953 has never known another monarch. As one person told me once in a pub, “I don’t how to live without her on the throne.”

Over her reign she has visited with nearly every president since Truman. She oversaw the end of the British Empire and the independent of two dozen countries. She championed the Commonwealth and always championed the value of each and every nation that had once been in her realm.

Queen Elizabeth enjoyed popularity that is unparalleled by other sovereigns around the world. Despite the many ups and downs of her reign (divorces of her children, death of Diana, Princess of Wales), she remained a popular constant in the lives of her subjects. She was not merely a Queen; she was the Queen.

Born in 1926, her father ascended the throne in 1936 following the abdication of Edward VIII so he could marry a divorcee, Mrs. Simpson. If it hadn’t been for that, she would have lived her life as a working Princess in support of her family but instead, she ascended the throne following her father’s death in 1953 of lung cancer. In the vain of Queen Victoria who declared, “I will be good.” Her Majesty dedicated her life to service of her people. No one argues that she has not fulfilled her duty. That was her hallmark, duty. During World War II, she drove ambulances during the Blitz and was a skilled mechanic. Together with her sister, they made a children’s radio address to children who had been sent to the country from London during the war to encourage them to be brave during the trying time. This would set a precedent of her being a comforting voice to the British people over the next decades. From Aberfan to September 11th to Covid, the Queen could be relied upon to be a constant, calming voice in the storm of life. Her sense of duty, iron will, and stability saw her country through many transitions, prime ministers (11!) and a total change of the entire world. When the world got tough, she could be relied upon to do the work of monarchy: encourage people to be their best selves.

Despite, a life lived in service to her country in this singular of roles, she also had personal tragedy of her own. 1992, the annus horribilis saw the destruction of Windsor castle by fire among other scandals. Her beloved mother and her sister died in 2002 within six weeks of each other. A tragedy all on its own, her mother enjoyed a special place as the Queen Mother and Princess Margaret was always popular for her jet setting lifestyle, if not for a few scandals along the way. Obviously, all of these characters have come into the forefront due to the popular Netflix show “The Crown.” Her husband, Phillip died just two years ago after many years of marriage. Their love was legendary.

Her Majesty was not just the most famous monarch in the world, but was also playful and fun. There are too many youtube videos to count of all the funny moments of her at the race track to take in her passion of race horses or her love of driving. She brought humor to all sorts of situations despite being the most important person in any room she has walked into since her early 20s. She will be remembered fondly and everyone who cared about her as family or monarch will be in mourning.

King Charles III and the Queen Consort will be at Balmoral today and will return to London tomorrow. Details of the state funeral will be forthcoming from the palace in the coming days. Details regarding the coronation of the new monarch will also be following over the next few weeks.

God Save the King