Through the many changes I have seen over the years, faith, family, and friendship have been not only a constant for me but a source of personal comfort and reassurance

From the Queen’s Christmas speech, 2018

The Passing

I believe there may have been hundreds or thousands of articles written about the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, who passed away last week, September 8, 2022, in Balmoral, Scotland, at 96. But I will remember the Queen, as many of us would, as a constant factor in our lives.

I’m almost fifty and had always known the Queen of England was always there, working for us, the British people and Commonwealth nations. She was a fixture of stability and courage in times of trouble.

As someone who loves to smile, the Queen’s visage is always joyous, creased up in a smile, and there was also a twinkle in her eyes. I love that. 

I saw Her Majesty in 2017 with His Royal Highness, the Duke of Edinburgh, through my office window when the Queen officially opened the New Scotland Yard. I was working at the Ministry of Defence building in Whitehall then. My impression was how petite she looked but what struck me was the way the Queen carried herself, regal but simple at the same time.

The Queen’s Work Ethics

The fact that two days before she passed, Queen Elizabeth met Liz Truss, our new Prime Minister, and asked her to form a new government, is mind-blowing. I spoke to a colleague who commented that not many people could still work at that age, yet, the Queen was still working, even though, if she had refused because of ill-health, her son, the new King Charles III, may have stood in for her.

“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.” 

queen elizabeth ii on her 21st birthday, april 21, 1947

The Procession

Then on Wednesday, September 14, at precisely 14:22, I solemnly watched the procession as the Queen’s coffin, draped in the Royal Standard, representing the Sovereign of the UK, and the Imperial State Crown resting on the top of the casket, left Buckingham Palace for the final time, the Queen’s former home, for Westminster Hall for the lying-in-state. I realised that Kings and Queens are still mortals. We will all die one day.

Change and Legacies

Change is constant, and the legacies we leave behind after our demise are important. How would we want to be remembered? 

The Queen is revered around the world, but as a human, she had her flaws, too; who doesn’t? As we mourn the Queen’s passing, it would be great if we could pause and take stock of our lives too.

Time is fleeting. It passes swiftly like a kite released by a youngster.

May, the soul of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, rest in peace, and I pray for the Royal Family, hoping they will love each other and eschew the toxicity that has engulfed the family in recent years.

May King Charles III also be imbued with wisdom to rule kindly, and may his heart pant after God as a defender of the Faith. God Save the King!