Queen Elizabeth II

No matter what your views on the Monarchy are, if you are a British citizen or in the UK at the moment, you will likely feel an element of sadness. I could not have anticipated the sadness I have felt since the news of Queen Elizabeth II's death. This has affected not just the UK but all the countries in the Commonwealth and worldwide. 

In all honesty, I didn't think there would be a point in my life when Queen Elizabeth was not my Queen. But, of course, if I had actually put some thought into it, I know that the chance of her outliving me when she was 71 years older than me was very slim. But the Queen has been the one and only constant in the UK, for many, the only Monarch we have ever known. No matter what is happening politically in this country, which political party is running the country, or what Prime Minister we have, she has always been there as our Head of State. 

The Queen was a fantastic woman, and I can say that I didn't fully appreciate this until more recent years with a mix of watching The Crown and joining the Church of England. The Crown, even though it is not entirely historically correct, it is based on actual life events and has led to me doing more reading about interesting events. The event that hit me the most was in season 3 of The Crown with the Aberfan landslide, which was caused by a mining accident in 1966. When the event happened, killing 116 children and 28 adults after hitting a Primary school. The Queen was initially told not to go to Aberfan as it was not the Royal thing to do, so she didn't. However, she very quickly regretted her decision and went anyway to be with those who were morning and help in whatever way they could. Even though she is said to have regretted the initial decision not to go to Aberfan, she did what she knew was best for the people of Wales rather than what was expected from the Monarchy. 

She was such a strong woman of Faith and took her role as the head of the Church of England seriously. Her Christmas speech each year was always something to look forward to as she shared the significance of Christmas in her life with the country. 

'For me, the life of Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, whose birth we celebrate today, is an inspiration and an anchor in my life. A role model of reconciliation and forgiveness, he stretched out his hands in love, acceptance and healing. Christ's example has taught me to seek to respect and value all people of whatever faith or none.' 

Queen Elizabeth's Christmas Speech 2014.

I had the sad privilege of going to the local Cathedral an hour after the death of the Queen was announced. Being one of the first people there, in a place of peace in a time of hurt, was such a touching time. Being able to pray for the Royal family and the country whilst lighting a candle has brought many people peace in this challenging time.

Most King's or Queen's are thrown into the deep end when they become the Monarch, as this usually involves their parent dying. This is what has happened to King Charles. He has had no time to grieve for his Mum before becoming King. He has such big shoes to fill, his Mum was loved by many, and we will see how he does in the next few months in this role.

The prayer spoken at a local church today: 

God our creator and redeemer, by your power Christ conquered death and returned to you in glory. Confident of his victory and claiming his promises, we entrust your servant Elizabeth into your keeping in the name of Jesus our Lord, who, though he died, is now alive and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God now and forever. 

Amen