by Ava Salado
“The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon. The King and The Queen Consort will remain at Balmoral this evening and will return to London tomorrow.”
This was posted on a small, framed piece of white paper outside Buckingham Palace at precisely 6:30, September 8th, 2022. One can only imagine that some passersby thought for a moment it wasn’t true. That someone had put the paper up as a “joke”. But, unfortunately this was not the case. Earlier that day, The Royal Family’s official Twitter account had made the same announcement. Like with any breaking news, rumors started spreading fast surrounding the legitimacy. It is both sad and comical that even when a direct announcement comes from the Royal Family themselves, the world could not believe it. When something this unbelievable happens, the world could, sort of, go into a shock. Maybe most of us didn’t know her personally, but she is, in many ways, a humongous part of our world and being. Many, from all walks of life, can’t even remember a time when she wasn’t a Monarch. That’s what makes this all so unbelievable. We have lived with her as a part of our subconscious for so long, many will find it hard to let go. Those living in the US have a president, and yes we may feel attached to a certain one, but in the grand scheme of things, he is only with us for four to eight years, then moves on. And that is why all our hearts go out to the people that have called Her Majesty The Queen for so long. I guess the London Bridge has finally fallen down.
Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor was born April 21, 1926 in Wayfair, London. Her father, Prince Albert, Duke of York (later King George VI), and mother Elizabeth, Duchess of York (later Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother), were delighted to have their, one day, future monarch. Four years later, her beloved sister, Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon was born. January 20, 1936 her grandpa and former King of the United Kingdom George V passed away. This made her father George VI the King, which meant Elizabeth must prepare for the inevitable… that she would be queen one day. She was schooled at home with her sister and taught things like literature, history, language, and music. But the underlying message in every lesson was ‘How to be Queen’. In her later years she was greeted with many opportunities. Going places, seeing things, and meeting people many others could only dream of. Including being introduced to her future husband Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark (later Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh). To learn more about him, check out our other article, In Honor of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. After her father’s unfortunate death from lung cancer, she was crowned on the 2nd of June,1953 at Westminster Abbey in London. In total, she was in rule for an amazing 70 years, longer than any other monarch before her. Her reign included so many accomplishments which shaped the world we know today. All we can do now is hope for the future and appreciate the past.
Personal note:
A close contact of a Lighthouse staff found some original newspaper clippings from the time of the Queen’s reign. This contact lives in a British commonwealth country and can recount many ways the Queen’s influence shaped the way they live today. Recently, in the dusty abyss of my garage, I found a copy of Reader’s Digest June 1953 with a very interesting article titled Buckingham: Palace of the Queen. Searching in the equally dusty abyss of the internet I could not find the same copy. Just goes to show what treasures you can find.
“I declare before you all that my whole life whether it be long or short shall be devoted to your service and the service of our great imperial family to which we all belong.”
–Her Majesty the Queen 1926-2022
The Lighthouse 