QUEEN ELIZABETH II 21ST APRIL 1926 – 8TH SEPTEMBER 2022

In 1953, BBC Television broadcast a programme that detailed the route of the imminent Coronation. To see that footage is to once again marvel at the changes that her late Majesty saw during the seven decades of her reign. It is not just the Standard Vanguards and Ford Consuls, the passers-by in their gaberdine mackintoshes, and the clipped RP tones of the commentator Berkeley Smith. Instead, it is the fact that we are witnessing a realm that now appears virtually as remote as Ancient Rome. When the Corporation shot that black & white news film, car ownership was an unattainable dream for many, there were Britons who had never used a telephone. Even words such as “motorway” had not yet entered the national vocabulary. On the day of her passing, instant communication was the norm, with information disseminated globally at the press of a button,

The Queen was our link with that post-war world, a reassuring symbol of stability in times of social change that is almost impossible to comprehend. Her reign saw 15 Prime Ministers, and so many of us grew up seeing her image. There were portraits on the wall of official buildings, news bulletins with the Rolls-Royce Phantom V arriving outside of the Houses of Parliament, and images of the young Princess Elizabeth training to be a driver-mechanic during the Second World War. For the Silver Jubilee in 1977, countless primary school classes sent their artwork to Buckingham Palace in celebration.

And of course, there was the Christmas Speech - as much part of the day as the tree and the decorations. You could not imagine a time when you would not hear those familiar tones shortly after 3 pm on the 25^th of December. But this year will be different, for today marks the passing of an era. RIP.