The Tribune

QUEEN Elizabeth II was said to have been the most famous woman in the world. Her prestige, influence and mystique spread far and wide, and her passing has caused deep sadness amongst millions worldwide.

In paying tribute to her, the new British Prime Minister, Liz Truss, declared she was one of the greatest leaders and diplomats the world had known and that the United Kingdom was a successful country because of her as the linchpin.

The ending of the Queen’s long and glorious record reign of seventy years is self-evidently a time of profound significance in British history. It is being called a seismic moment. The nation is in shock at her sudden death even though it was not totally unexpected at her advanced age of ninety-six. Millions of Britons have been deeply affected by her loss for she was a much-loved and respected person who had been a figure of certainty, stability and reassurance as the head of state of their country throughout their own lives.

In Britain and around the world, millions are mourning her in an almost unprecedented out-pouring of grief together with appreciation and thanksgiving for her long life. Such feelings will surely continue as people are experiencing a sense of unreality about what has happened and need time gradually to come to terms with it. Nonetheless, an important feature of the British monarchy is its continuity and the centuries old tradition of immediate succession. Thus, there has been a swiftness of transition so that her son and heir has already acceded to the throne as King Charles III.

News of The Queen’s passing has been dominating headlines in the US and has been on front pages around the world. There has been a flood of tributes from global leaders expressing sympathy. Many have called her kind-hearted and honoured her dignity, grace, wisdom, deep sense of duty and resilience as well as her keen sense of humour. While expressing their sadness at her passing, they have also recognised her outstanding contribution over the years to the life and affairs of her own country as well as to those of so many others around the world.

In particular, there has been an outflow of sympathy and condolences from Commonwealth leaders and a sharing of memories of The Queen. She was said to have regarded her work as head of the organisation as the last great phase of the transformation of the former empire whose colonies did not depart in a spirit of bitterness but joined the Commonwealth as a free and voluntary association of, currently, 56 countries.

With such extensive and comprehensive media coverage of The Queen’s passing, the plethora of information has become almost overwhelming. It may even have become confusing. So, it might be helpful to identify some of the main events that have taken place in Britain during the last few days, together with what is going to happen next, and to offer brief comment on the workings of a constitutional monarchy while looking next week at the prospects for the new reign.

Since the announcement of The Queen’s death on Thursday, there has been a tremendous stream of love and affection for her, and for the Royal Family as an institution, by millions of people both in Britain and overseas. Massive crowds have gathered together at various places around the country and have laid a sea of flowers in the front of buildings like Buckingham Palace -- and outside the gates of Windsor Castle and the royal residences of Sandringham and Balmoral Castle in Scotland where The Queen died -- with countless written messages of condolence and affection attached.

Following the hugely positive reaction to the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations during the summer, this should perhaps have come as no surprise because The Queen was more than a constitutional monarch. She knew and understood the British people and was universally popular, both amongst the younger generation and with older people. The Crown exists with the declared consent of the people - the overwhelming majority of whom support the idea of the existing constitutional monarchy - and there is little or no demand for Britain to become a republic.

Historically, such public displays of love, respect and approval were not the norm. When The Queen came to the throne in 1952, Britain was a more deferential and reserved society. The monarchy was publicly revered, but it was distant and somewhat remote. As a symbol of strength, it had been a bulwark against dictators and tyranny during the 1930s in face of the rise of fascism in Italy, the Nazis in Germany, a civil war in Spain and, earlier, a revolution in Russia in 1917. As other countries succumbed to extremism, Britain remained a beacon of democracy.

The challenge for The Queen so soon after the Second World War was to adapt to an age in which respect for tradition and authority were gradually weakening. She saw that in more modern times the monarchy could no longer be justified by tradition alone. It needed to rest on popular consent and should contribute to the public good. She understood and practised this so effectively that she successfully brought people together and inspired their affection and respect throughout her long reign. It was said that she instinctively understood the soul of the people. Thanks to her careful handling of the monarchy – apart from a perceived lapse in reacting to the sudden death of Princess Diana in a car accident in 1997 - it is now flourishing and enjoys almost universal support.

On Friday, following The Queen’s death, King Charles returned to Buckingham Palace and did a walkabout with the huge crowds which were waiting - in a sombre mood – to greet him outside the Palace. He showed how he could circulate and connect with people who were ex-pressing sympathy but also cheering him on as the new monarch. The outpouring of affection was palpable.

On the same day, there was a memorial service at St Paul’s Cathedral, and in the House of Commons former prime ministers and other MPs delivered generous tributes. After there had been 96-gun salutes across the country (one for each year of her life), in an eloquent address charged with emotion the King later spoke to the nation and pledged to carry on his mother’s legacy by serving the people with ‘loyalty, respect and love’.

The next morning, the Accession Council, an ancient traditional body that apparently has its roots in the Privy Council and traces its origins to Anglo-Saxon times, met at St James’ Palace in central London to swear in the new King. There was a formal proclamation of his accession to the throne in a ceremony said to go back a thousand years, and the Council then observed tradition by lamenting the loss of one sovereign and pledging allegiance to the next. The ceremony was televised which was, of course, for the first time ever.

It was announced a few days ago that a state funeral to remember the life and service of The Queen will be held on September 19 at Westminster Abbey to which heads of state from around the world will be invited. It has been declared a bank holiday. The Queen’s coffin will later be taken to Windsor Castle where her final resting place will be at the King George VI memorial chapel in St George’s Chapel next to her husband Prince Philip.

During a period of national mourning, which has included cancellation of a large number of sporting and other events as a mark of respect, the King will visit the capitals of each part of the United Kingdom, and yesterday he was in the Scottish capital Edinburgh. Meanwhile, the coffin will be transferred to London today and placed for a lying-in-state – as was the case for The Queen’s father King George VI and the Queen Mother in 2002 - in Westminster Hall, the 11th century building which is the oldest part of the Palace of Westminster and is at the heart of the British government. This will be for four days during which there will be a royal vigil, and hundreds of thousands – or even millions - of people are expected to file past the coffin in order to pay their respects.

King Charles III also addressed Parliament yesterday for the first time. This historic event took place in Westminster Hall because, traditionally, monarchs have been prevented from entering the House of Commons since Charles I sent soldiers there to arrest four MPs in 1642. After listening to tributes from MPs and members of the House of Lords, the new King gave a speech in which he said he felt the ‘weight of history which surrounds us’. He offered warm thanks for all the tributes and vowed to follow The Queen’s example of selfless duty ‘with God’s help and your counsels’. He was reported to be close to tears as Parliament sang ‘God Save the King’.

In a constitutional monarchy the Crown has no executive powers. These are vested in the elected Parliament which has been described as the instrument of democracy. But the monarch exercises influence and can offer personal advice to government ministers. Unlike politicians whose opinions and actions all too often depend on the effect on their re-election chances, such advice is likely to be informed and objective and purely in the best interests of the people as a whole because the monarchy is above the political fray and can be trusted. According to all reports, The Queen brought to matters of official business not only her vast experience but also common sense and a down-to-earth and realistic approach that acted, when necessary, as a constraint on the excesses of politicians.

The value of such advice or guidance should not be underestimated. The Queen was arguably the most knowledgeable and experienced leader in the world since she had been seeing classified state papers since the early 1950s.

There were 15 different prime ministers during her reign – including the current premier whom she had invited to form a government only last week - and she had met and discussed international affairs with most leaders of other countries during the course of the last seventy years. She had a reputation for meticulously reading the regular briefing in her famous ‘red boxes’ and therefore was able to offer well-informed private comment or advice on a range of issues; not least at her weekly meetings with the prime minister - and it was notable that, among others, Boris Johnson warmly attested to this in his tribute to her in the House of Commons on Friday.

The monarchy is the glue which binds the whole nation together. Politicians come and go but The Queen has provided constancy and continuity and contributed strongly to the national unity that benefits the whole country and which people appreciate so much – and all the more so because, as the spotlight of the modern media increasingly shines on them, public distrust of elected leaders continues to grow.

As Britain mourns a much-loved Queen who was a part of people’s lives for so long, the nation also looks to the future under a new monarch – and many have already been heartened by the King’s clear message that while he loves tradition he also believes in progress.