8 September -- The Death of the Queen

 

Even though the Queen was 96 and the reality of her coming to the end of her life was everpresent, her death seemed to happen shockingly quickly. The Queen was still performing her duties just two days before and suddenly she was gone. On 8 Sept, the news here was filled with how the Royal Family was rushing to Balmoral and then -- that Queen Elizabeth had died. 

Over the last few years both the Queen and my mom were rapidly aging and increasingly the Queen reminded me of my mom, so the Queen's death is a bit entwined for me. 

The next morning church bells for an hour all across the country, including here in Ashmore, Dorset

I tried to find some of the newspapers the next morning but they were totally sold out no matter where I went. 

On Monday, 12 September I was in London and a friend and I went to Buckingham Palace and Green Park to pay respects and see all the flower tributes left for the Queen. The outpouring of respect and grief was very touching.

Television coverage has been constant showing every step of "The Queen is Dead, Long Live the King"

For the first times in 70 years it is now "God Save The King." It will take a while to get used to King Charles II after so many years of Prince Charles. 

There have also been some wonderful images online. 

There is a palpable feeling of living through history. I'm making plans to attend the funeral with friends. The crowds will be unbelievable and we likely won't really be able to see much, but just to be part of it will be worth it.