An inspiring, intelligent, hard-working, impressive lady.
Not just a queen, but a stateswoman in no small regard.
Possibly the single most artful diplomat of the 20th and early 21st centuries.
I do think it's crucially important to celebrate what she
did and
how she did it, rather than mindlessly applauding her for her office (as so many appear to), given that her predecessors, to whom she owes being born into that office, didn't exactly paint themselves in glory. William the Conqueror's
Harrying of the North, anyone? Edward I,
The Hammer of the Scots? Henry VIII's
Dissolution of the Monasteries? Multiple conquests of Ireland? Multiple invasions and subjugations of Wales? The Civil Wars? And that's just
within the British Isles.
Thankfully Elizabeth II did an exemplary job at being a much better kind of figurehead.
Charles III already gives every impression of doing the same.
Separately, a friend of mine poignantly commented yesterday (and note that we're hearing nothing of this sentiment in the media at present):
I also wonder if there will be this national outpouring of grief for every old lady who dies this winter. At least Queenie died in comfort rather than huddled around a one bar heater, trying to decide whether she could afford to turn it on or not.
A sobering reflection.
