The Queen: Reflecting on a Royal Life

 

It might be expected that I am going to comment negatively on the passing of our Queen, Elizabeth II.  I won't do that, though. While I might be critical of royalty at times and scathing of past monarchs such as the Duke of Windsor, who deserves opprobrium, I actually have sympathy for the Royal Family and some respect for the late Queen's memory. Even when I was a Socialist Workers' Party (SWP) member back in the 1970s and we campaigned against the 1977 Silver Jubilee under the banner "Stuff the Jubilee", I could not bring myself to bear any personal malice towards the Queen. I lost my mother some years ago and can empathise with how her family and friends are feeling. It's a matter of simple humanity to me, although I am not feeling as keenly as are many others. Royalists and admirers of Her Maj are grieving intensely. I, and I suspect that I am not alone, am feeling an affectionate sadness, rather like one might feel at the passing of a distant but popular relative. I might not be part of the crowd outside Buckingham Palace or Balmoral, but I shall remember her fondly and hope she rests in peace. 

Many people are indeed feeling her loss keenly and remembering her with the utmost respect. As the new king, Charles III, said of his mother in his televised address: 

 "Her dedication and devotion as Sovereign never wavered, through times of change and progress, through times of joy and celebration, and through times of sadness and loss."

 As someone who was three years old when she became Queen, I can endorse that. I cannot remember a time when she was not engaged in public duties, even while raising a family of her own. Back in the 50s, she must have been an inspiration to many people, giving colour to a drab society, murky politics and the painfully slow ending of imperial glory. 

Through the 60s and 70s, she was regarded by so many people as a fixed point in a changing world, while the Cold War dragged on, youth rebelled and dispossessed groups, such as women's rights campaigners and LGBT activists, fought for equality. We also saw in this period how the role of monarchy came to be questioned, politically by some and murderously by others. While the SWP and others on the Left questioned the amount of public money spent on the Royals, the Provisional IRA had more lethal plans. These plans led to the death of Lord Louis Mountbatten, the Queen's cousin, in 1979. What is less well known is that the Provos tried to assassinate the Queen on May 9, 1981, while she opened an oil terminal at Sullom Voe in the Shetland Islands. Still, she kept smiling.

Somehow, she retained her composure through the following years. There were the marriages and divorces of her children to live through. There was the increasing trend in consequence for the mass media to treat the Royals as entertainment - a sort of upper-class soap opera. In the 90s, she was subject to considerable public pressure following the death of Princess Diana. It is said that she was pressurised into recording a broadcast eulogising the late princess. If that be true, it means she was subject to the same pressure many of us felt at the time. Put simply, it was described as "Disney meets the Blackshirts" - a populist command that "You SHALL mourn - or else". Anyone who did not share in the grieving for Diana was chided for hard-heartedness; shops were intimidated into closing on the day of the funeral; magazines, such as Private Eye, which were sceptical of what was an indulgent grief fest were withdrawn from sale in some shops.

I'm pleased to say that there has been no such oppressive atmosphere about the outpouring of grief for the Queen. It feels - at least to me - that expressions of sorrow and sympathy have been spontaneous, genuine and widespread across all sectors of society. It is to the eternal credit of Her Maj that she was seen as a symbol of unity. Here in the UK, she has been eulogised by politicians of all shades of political opinion. Both Welsh and Scottish Nationalist politicians have expressed their sympathy, as has Jeremy Corbyn on Twitter: 

"My thoughts are with the Queen’s family as they come to terms with their personal loss, as well as those here and around the world who will mourn her death".

That is very well said, and we need to appreciate that Her Maj was seen as a uniting factor in the Commonwealth and elsewhere. For example, Jacinda Ardern, prime minister of New Zealand, said flags would fly at half-mast and arrangements would be made for a state memorial service.
“I know that I speak for people across New Zealand in offering our deepest sympathy to members of the royal family at the passing of the Queen,” said Ardern.

As far as the rest of the world is concerned, I myself have received sympathetic greetings from friends in the United States, echoing the words of US President, Joe Biden, who said of the Queen:  

“She defined an era. In a world of constant change, she was a steadying presence and a source of comfort and pride for generations of Britons, including many who have never known their country without her.”

The Queen's passing has even drawn sympathy from unexpected quarters. No less a politician than Vladimir Putin contacted the new king on Thursday, saying: 

"I wish you courage and perseverance in the face of this heavy, irreparable loss...I ask you to convey the words of sincere sympathy and support to the members of the royal family and all the people of Great Britain."

Another surprise expression of sympathy (at least surprising to me) came on Thursday from Mary Lou McDonald, leader of Sinn Fein: 

“To the royal family and all who mourn the death of Queen Elizabeth, especially Irish unionists, I extend sincere sympathy. She lived a long, full life. In her lifetime relationships between our countries were changed and changing. I salute her contribution to this transformation.”

We have lost a uniting influence, nationally and internationally, and we can only hope that Charles III can rise to the challenge of inspiring that same unity. After we have laid her Majesty to rest, and the King is in Buckingham Palace, we must return to problems where unity, national and international, is sorely needed. Back we go to the energy crisis, the cost-of-living crisis and war in Ukraine. As Ecclesiastes 1:5 has it: "The sun also ariseth, and the sun goeth down, and hasteth to his place where he arose".

Life goes on...