Royalty thread #14: Platinum edition

[Judy]

The Queen's passing would be the last thing the UK needs right now. She's the only stability we have. Hoping against hope that this is all a false alarm and she has many good days ahead of her.

I will be so sad .

 

[VGThuy]

I just saw a news alert about the Queen. I hope for the best. Whether she gets through this or if the worst happens, my thoughts are with those in Britain who will be facing the probability of suffering a loss of a representative figure they love and respect, and of course, to her family and loved ones as well who are now facing this reality. Even though she is of an advance age and this could not be considered a "surprise", the reality always hits hard when it comes and nobody is immune to the feelings of grief and mourning that start to come when death becomes more certain.

She was definitely a respectable and strong figure who helped Britain face the chaotic times of the 20th and early 21st Century. "Heavy is the head that wears the crown" and we've seen what the position of the throne can do to people and how some have not handled their roles well at all, and Elizabeth II has done and is doing probably the best job humanly possible considering the context of her upbringing, and time period when she inherited the throne. Of course some can argue she made some real missteps, but, again, she is only human. Whatever we can say about the negatives of the "duty-first" mentality, we can also truly admire just how devoted she was to country and how sincerely she took her role. Comparatively, we know how a bad a job someone without her strength and care for country could have done in her stead, and that's an understatement, really. She will be missed and how seriously she devoted her life to keep the monarchy alive and respected should not be understated - even if not completely replicated. I think she set a high standard to grow, learn, and evolve from.

 

[MLIS]

well apparently kate isn't going to balmoral, whatever that means ...

It means her young children are in school (first day today) and she stayed to take care of them, allowing William to get away as quickly as possible. I stayed home with our young daughter when both of my husband’s parents died, allowing him to focus on what needed to be done (in one case he got a call that said “come, now” and he just literally dropped everything and left). Depending on what medical treatment she is receiving, they may not want the children to see her if it will be distressing or upsetting, better to keep them home and busy and distracted. If she does die, there will be enough upheaval and demands on them in the days to come.

 

[canbelto]

Apparently William, Edward, Sophie and Andrew have arrived at Aberdeen Airport. Presumably Harry and Meghan are en route.

 

[Finnice]

While I am not a monarchist, I have an enormous respect for her. My mother will grieve a lot.

 

[allezfred]

Am reading that the BBC newsreaders are all dressed in black already….

 

[Orm Irian]

Am reading that the BBC newsreaders are all dressed in black already….

They are. Or dark suits and black ties, at least - if they're not in black suits already they'll switch for the announcement as per protocol.

 

[PRlady]

While I am not a monarchist, I have an enormous respect for her. My mother will grieve a lot.

My mom was the exact same age and always identified with the Queen. She would be devastated if she were still here herself.

 

[allezfred]

Like @Finnice I am not a monarchist, but I think a lot of Irish people have great respect for what she did when she visited Ireland in 2011.

 

[Garden Kitty]

I was watching an old version of a tv show on one of the channels high on the cable list, and they had some question regarding the world leaders at that time, including Queen Elizabeth and Harry Truman. It really brought home how long she has served.

 

[On My Own]

But you can rest now, Lizzie. You kept your promise.

Huh, I call her Betty.

 

[skategal]

If the Queen rallies I hope she makes a statement saying “Rumours of my demise have been greatly exaggerated.”

Sending good thoughts to the family and all of the UK at this time.

 

[VALuvsMKwan]

My mom was the exact same age and always identified with the Queen. She would be devastated if she were still here herself.

My mother was also born in 1926, and she used her middle name of Elizabeth as her given name.

 

[DFJ]

John Meacham on MSNBC telling wonderful stories as only he can.

 

[clairecloutier]

I'm not a monarchist either, but I do respect the Queen a lot for her dedicated service. One thing that will always stick with me was her public message at the start of the pandemic, when she urged everyone to dig deep and rise to the challenge so that people would have nothing to regret later on. The stoic strength and character of that mesage felt very typical of her.

 

[marbri]

There is only one way this is going to end. I only say that for those who are posting hoping she will be fine.
And that is probably why Kate stayed with her kids. They are young and they probably want someone with them when the announcement comes.

Not a monarchist but all the to this woman who has been the monarch for all my parents life, my life etc.. A lot of respect for a woman who took on this tradition at a young age and saw it through all the ups and downs for decades to the best of her abilities.

 

[On My Own]

Don't really mind monarchy or monarchists, as long as we're not talking about imperialism, and keeping it to the UK/Japan style.

I really feel no connection to Elizabeth II and am left confused about the stability she supposedly provided. But, of course, she did do good deeds, and it never feels good to see a benign political figure pass away (even if it's their time).

 

[Judy]

I’m going to cry for sure. I’m an emotional person .. so glad that all the family is there. I suspect Kate will join at some point .

 

[victorskid]

In November 1951, on a very rainy early evening, I was standing (with my mother) outside the gates of the residence of the Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia to see the then Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip depart to attend a state dinner.

https://twitter.com/ET2Taylor/status/1567905949523795968

 

[DFJ]

I'm flipping around the various channels. So nice to hear all the stories, one of which is the RF would have barbecues at Balmoral where Prince Philip would take care of the cooking and the Queen would do the dishes.

Another is one of her running around with a huge butterfly net trying to catch the bats to set them free.

 

[becca]

I don’t like wearing black before we know for sure. She is though 96 and if she gets an opportunity to see all her family and say the last goodbyes that’s actually a huge blessing. Even Harry will be there.

Obviously she was born to immense privilege but she also seems to have done her best to keep up the bargain with her country and serve it.

She is also of a different generation breed this reminds me of my own Grandmother passing.

 

[marbri]

Don't really mind monarchy or monarchists, as long as we're not talking about imperialism, and keeping it to the UK/Japan style.

I really feel no connection to Elizabeth II and am left confused about the stability she supposedly provided. But, of course, she did do good deeds, and it never feels good to see a benign political figure pass away (even if it's their time).

I don't know where you are from but I think for those from the UK and the Commonwealth she has been a figure for all our lives. Regardless of how one feels about monarchies in general she has been a sisterly/motherly/grandmotherly figure that has been a constant in the lives of people from these regions. From primary school there were photos of her in my classrooms ( I swear I have memories of singing God Save the Queen back then) , on my money, everywhere.

I also can't imagine the British monarchy continuing along in the same vein when she is gone so in that way she has also been a stability for the British monarchy for the reasons I mentioned in the first paragraph.

And I imagine in the UK she has been a comforting stable voice for decades who spoke to them in times of need (of which there would have been plenty).
So I think that is why people speak of her and stability in the same breath.

 

[taz'smum]

In November 1951, on a very rainy early evening, I was standing (with my mother) outside the gates of the residence of the Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia to see the then Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip depart to attend a state dinner.

https://twitter.com/ET2Taylor/status/1567905949523795968

I'm not a royalist but I did, out of curiosity, stand and watch the queen go by in Cardiff for the silver jubilee as a 17 year old.
It must have been of some significance to me at the time, as I can even remember what I was wearing that day!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7o75xQrv5E
Makes me feel kinda old!

 

[mattiecat13]

Thank you for the updates from those who live in Britain. I was happy to see the Queen looked good when she welcomed the new PM the other day. Just shows how quickly things can change.

 

[BlueRidge]

I have always admired the dignity with which she comports herself. I felt this modeled something the world needs more of.

 

[victorskid]

It was just mentioned on BBC that her first Prime Minister was Winston Churchill and that he was born 101 years before the latest one, Liz Truss. That signifies her longevity, for sure.

 

[becca]

It was just mentioned on BBC that her first Prime Minister was Winston Churchill and that he was born 101 years before the latest one, Liz Truss. That signifies her longevity, for sure.

Yes it does and wisdom in recent note her sitting by herself in the Church at her husbands funeral had to be one of the most iconic photos of the pandemic as an image of what so many endured

 

[Deleted member 221]

Thank you for the updates from those who live in Britain. I was happy to see the Queen looked good when she welcomed the new PM the other day. Just shows how quickly things can change.

It's very strange that she would be fine on Monday (at least enough to stand and take pictures), and then suddenly not fine on Thursday without some kind of major medical event that would require hospitalization. Unless something sudden happened today, she's already gone, and they're just waiting for the family to arrive. Or maybe, as some have speculated, she had an undisclosed illness that the family has known about for awhile.

I'm a bit at the people who have gathered at Balmoral. FFS, give the family some privacy.

When I moved to the UK, I always hoped she'd live long enough to be the monarch when I became a citizen. At least I got to stand next to her picture, swear my oath to her, and have a passport in her name.

 

[Karen-W]

It's very strange that she would be fine on Monday (at least enough to stand and take pictures), and then suddenly not fine on Thursday without some kind of major medical event that would require hospitalization. Unless something sudden happened today, she's already gone, and they're just waiting for the family to arrive. Or maybe, as some have speculated, she had an undisclosed illness that the family has known about for awhile.

I'm a bit at the people who have gathered at Balmoral. FFS, give the family some privacy.

When I moved to the UK, I always hoped she'd live long enough to be the monarch when I became a citizen. At least I got to stand next to her picture, swear my oath to her, and have a passport in her name.

She met with the PMs on Tuesday, which makes the timeline even shorter. Some people on a royalty forum I participate in have commented that there was a large purple bruise on her hand in the pics released on Tuesday, which is indicative of poor circulation. Additionally, some have noted that it was significant that only still photos were released. Compared to how she looked in July, when we last had video footage of her, she's clearly lost weight in the last two months.

You could be right that she is already gone and they're just waiting for family to arrive. I guess we'll just have to see what is stated in the next announcement from BP.

 

[victorskid]

She met with the PMs on Tuesday, which makes the timeline even shorter. Some people on a royalty forum I participate in have commented that there was a large purple bruise on her hand in the pics released on Tuesday, which is indicative of poor circulation. Additionally, some have noted that it was significant that only still photos were released. Compared to how she looked in July, when we last had video footage of her, she's clearly lost weight in the last two months.

You could be right that she is already gone and they're just waiting for family to arrive. I guess we'll just have to see what is stated in the next announcement from BP.

Some on the BBC have commented about the bruise, saying it resembled someone who had had a cannula (IV) removed.