And so it is. The news filtered through after 16.40 that Queen Elizabeth had passed away. A couple of hours later the public was deemed capable of bearing the news.
I saw a comment on Facebook. One was from my friend in Toronto: The Queen is dead. Long live the King. Living in a Commonwealth country, that epanaleptic phrase will sound unpopular among the republicans. And being an anarchistic atheist Jewish Buddhist, I wanted to reply: I agree: the Queen is dead. But I didn't. Reply that is.
Without any ado, Betty expired and Charlie became King, and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, became the Queen Consort, a rather endearing title and really just a condescending name for the King's wife, although it seems that the Queen had already allowed the future title to be bestowed on Camilla after her death for which dear old Camilla felt honoured.
This morning, sat in the sauna at my local swim centre, I got into a conversation with a guy who I guessed from his accent was South African though he said he was born in Poland.
-A few people have expressed sympathy but I'm trying to be dispassionate about it. I have to show her respect, after 70 years on the throne.
-I guess so. I mean, you have to show respect to everyone. But there's also a political side to it. There's a division between the royalists and the republicans.
In the steam room there was the ubiquitous shrivelled swimmer with his desultory views on all types of sports from snooker to cricket to rugby to soccer, and creepily to his interest in and detailed knowledge of ladies' soccer.
-They won't have cricket. All the matches are suspended. Although I don't suppose they'll add on a couple of days to finish. They might add on a couple of hours at the end of the day. The football's cancelled as well. I think the horse racing's still on ... and on and on...
Reading some of the sycophantic quotes from around the globe I'm not surprised about the obsequious tone:
The Queen had no fear of death. Archbishop of Canterbury.
The last night of the proms is cancelled.
Republic debate flares [in Australia] as country mourns its longest-serving monarch.
[the] legacy of the longest-serving monarch.
A yapping moving carpet/ Queen's corgis tested the palace loyalties.
A love that lasted seven decades.
Sussex's children become Prince Archie and Princess Lillibet.
Betty's dead. Charlie gets a job. [Just made that up.]
My own opinion? Well it's somewhere in the middle. With a reduction in the bloody size of the extended family, I would say a cull is in order before it gets to the stage when the Buckingham balcony is in danger of collapsing under their weight. Also, they are to the tourist industry a discernible fiscal attraction and lots of people revere the family in much the same way as politicians kowtow to potential millionaire donors. And as long as they don't secretly or otherwise interfere in the machinations of government, except to comment on issues like the greening of the countryside and global warming, then good luck to them.
One thing is sure all things must pass.
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