The World Mourns Queen Elizabeth II

Posted on by under Bits 'n Pieces, Global Issues, History, Political commentary, Social commentary, Tributes

Queen Elizabeth II, Queen of the United Kingdom for the past 70 years, died yesterday.  She was 96 years of age.  Even though I fully expected the news sometime yesterday, it took my breath and I found myself with tears running down my cheeks.  Unable to speak without a sob, I texted my granddaughter, Natasha, with the news even though she was sitting only six feet away from me.

Queen Elizabeth was the last of a dying breed, or perhaps a breed that is now extinct with her death.  She cared … genuinely cared … about the people in her nation and around the globe.  We don’t see much of that today.  She and Prince Philip had been married nearly 74 years when he died in April of last year … a marriage that lasts that long speaks volumes about both people, about their patience, willingness to compromise, mutual respect and more.

A few of the comments and thoughts by people yesterday …

Rita Grant, 64, a worker at a children’s center in London, said that with the difficult situation Britain was going through, with a cost-of-living and energy crisis, the queen was the only element keeping the country afloat. “She is the glue that holds everything together. If we lose her we lose a lot,” said as while shopping for food in London. “Without her, we will be lost.”

Jackie Peebles, 48, struggled to hold back tears as she spoke about the first time she waved to the queen on the royal yacht in Jersey at age 10. “She is all I ever known since I was a child. I feel like she is my Nan.” She said she was going to make a scrapbook of the queen’s photos for her daughter, who “might never get to see her. I just feel so sad.”

“She was a constant in a sea of chaos. She was the living embodiment — majestic, sure-footed, seeming divinely ordained — of a Great Britain that once had been and is no longer. She provided a sense of steadiness and continuity during her country’s transitions. Her passing carries a significance far greater than her official duties would indicate.” – Dan Rather writing on SubStack … you can read his entire tribute here.

No doubt you will read and see numerous tributes to this special lady over the coming days … tributes that will be far better than any I could write, so I choose to honour Queen Elizabeth II by sharing some iconic pictures …

Princess Elizabeth with her mother, The Duchess of York, in 1927.

1945 – Princess Elizabeth was photographed in her British Army uniform. At the time of the picture, she was a second subaltern (equivalent to a second lieutenant) in the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS) of the British Army.

1947 – With her then-fiancé, Prince Phillip, the Duke of Edinburgh.

1947 – The wedding

1949 – The queen looked thrilled while she posed with her son Prince Charles.

1962

1981 – The queen posed with her son Prince Charles and his then-fiancee Lady Diana Spencer at Buckingham Palace.

1982 – Pope John Paul II, the head of the Catholic church, paid a visit to Buckingham Palace to meet with the Queen of England, who is the head of the church of England.

1983 – Queen Elizabeth II looked pleased to meet Indira Gandhi, the first female Prime Minister of India during a visit to the country.

1983 – During her official visit to the United States, the queen attended a banquet in San Francisco and toasted glasses with President Ronald Reagan.

1983 – While in Delhi, India, the queen met with Mother Teresa of Calcutta and presented her with the Order of Merit, which recognizes distinguished leaders and culture shifters.

1996 – South African President Nelson Mandela and the queen sat in a carriage for his official visit to England.

2003 – For this official portrait, the queen wore an embellished pink gown with her husband, their son, Prince Charles, and grandson Prince William at Clarence House.

2011 – Barack and Michelle Obama, QEII, and Prince Philip all looked dapper as they posed in the Music Room of Buckingham Palace. The queen invited the Obamas for a two-day State visit.

2020 – Riding Balmoral Fern, a 14-year-old Fell Pony, on the grounds of her Windsor Castle home.

2020 – The queen awards Captain Sir Thomas Moore with the insignia of Knight Bachelor at Windsor Castle. British World War II veteran Captain Tom Moore raised over $38 million for the NHS during the coronavirus pandemic.

2021 – The queen gives her Christmas Day speech from home, next to a framed photo of herself with late husband Prince Philip.

2022 – The Royal Windsor Horse Show releases a new photo of the monarch for her 96th birthday, celebrating her lifelong love of horses.

As the news of the Queen’s death circulated, people began gathering outside of Buckingham Palace where suddenly a rainbow appeared …

Around the world, buildings will reflect the global mourning of Queen Elizabeth.  In New York, the Empire State Building will shine purple & silver in honour of the Queen …

In Ottawa, Canada,  a huge picture of the Queen lights up the side of the National Arts Centre.

And in Paris, France, the Eiffel Tower lights will be turned off in honour of the Queen.

Queen Elizabeth belonged to the United Kingdom and they will mourn her more than any, but her death is sad for us all, and the world will mourn in its own way.  She was truly a great lady and she will be missed.  R.I.P. Queen Elizabeth.

45 thoughts on “The World Mourns Queen Elizabeth II”

  2. Pingback: The World Mourns Queen Elizabeth II – Hamza

  4. Thank you for sharing!!.. she was a grand, caring and dignified lady and a role model for everyone… this world will certainly miss her presence and hopefully will follow her example!!.. knowing the caliber of person she was, she would no doubt have these words for us… 🙂

    When tomorrow starts without me
    And I’m not here to see,
    If the sun should rise and find your eyes
    Filled with tears for me.

    I wish so much you wouldn’t cry
    The way you did today,
    While thinking of the many things
    We didn’t get to say.

    I know how much you love me
    As much as I love you,
    And each time you think of me
    I know you’ll miss me too.

    When tomorrow starts without me
    Don’t think we’re far apart,
    For every time you think of me
    I’m right there in your heart.
    (Alena Hakala Meadows)

    Have a wonderful day today, and every day and until we meet again..
    May love and laughter light your days,
    and warm your heart and home.
    May good and faithful friends be yours,
    wherever you may roam.
    May peace and plenty bless your world
    with joy that long endures.
    May all life’s passing seasons
    bring the best to you and yours!
    (Irish Saying)

    Liked by 2 people

    • You are so right, Dutch … she was among the greatest humanitarians ever and set an example for what we should all strive to be. She left some big shoes to fill, but I think King Charles III is up for the challenge.

      I can’t remember where I’ve heard that poem before by Ms. Meadows, but I have always loved it! Thank you for reminding me of it, and thank you for the Irish Saying. I wish you all of the same, my friend.

      Liked by 1 person

  5. Pingback: The World Mourns Queen Elizabeth II — Filosofa’s Word – THE FLENSBURG FILES

    • Indeed … she was a grand woman and she’ll be missed all around the globe! I’ve been reading of some of the things she’s done … some humorous, some humanitarian … and I think how I wish I had known her. I hope King Charles is up for the task, because she left some big shoes for him to fill.

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  7. Pingback: THE WORLD MORNS QUEEN ELIZABETH II. |jilldennison.com | Ramblings of an Occupy Liberal

    • Yes, or we could contrast her dignity, grace, and compassion to many leaders around the world, including our own former guy, and we would find none to match her. Yes, may she RIP … she has certainly earned both rest and peace.

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    • Thank you so much, Carla! She was such a truly great, gracious, compassionate lady … she will be missed by more than just those in the UK. Let’s hope that King Charles is half the humanitarian his mum was.

      Liked by 1 person

  12. Pingback: The World Mourns Queen Elizabeth II | Ned Hamson's Second Line View of the News

  14. The queen didn’t just belong to the United Kingdom. She was the Head of State of fourteen other nations as well. Each role of head of state was/is completely independent of any other role as Head of State. That’s some massive multitasking in my view. Additionally she held the largely ceremonial role of Head of the Commonwealth of Nations – a grouping of 54 independent countries.

    As for Queen Elizabeth being the last of a dying breed, or perhaps a breed that is now extinct with her death I don’t believe either are true. Call me an optimist if you will, but while the breed might endangered in some parts of the world (and I’m looking particularly at America and parts of Europe) I firmly believe that the breed continues to flourish elsewhere and will continue to do so well into the foreseeable future.

    Liked by 3 people

    • You are definitely more optimistic than I, my friend. I look around … I see people like Trump, Johnson, and others who believe that wealth and power are more important than the people, and I just don’t see the same ethics, the same compassion that I saw in people like the Kennedys and Obamas here, and the Queen in the UK. But … perhaps it is time and circumstance, for you guys have the most compassionate Prime Minister in existence today. Perhaps if I lived there, with Ardern leading my nation, I would be more of an optimist. Living in the U.S. does nothing to bring on a bout of optimism. Would you mind if we borrowed Ms. Ardern for a few years?

      Liked by 2 people

      • As far as kindness of Jacinda Ardern goes, it is at times moderated by just a little too much pragmatism. But then I don’t have to balance ideals with political realities. While she is no doubt a compassionate person, I also think that our political system does allow people like her to rise faster up the “political ladder” than the system in the US. Even the Prime Minister must still represent her constituents, and deal with the one of the most gruelling aspects of being a Member of Parliament – assisting those, especially the disadvantaged, who for whatever reason fall through the bureaucratic gaps. My sister was for many years the electorate (voting district) office manager for a Member of Parliament. Some of the situations she had to deal with were heartwrenching. This is the day to day reality of being a Member of Parliament here. Anyone seen as not being at least sympathetic with the disadvantaged does not usually do well in advancing their political careers, although there are exceptions of course.

        As for borrowing our Prime Minister, I already have had requests from the UK, and a few other places, so it might be some time before she is available, especially in light that I want to retain her services for some time yet.

        Liked by 2 people

        • Hmmmm … as I read your words, I realized that it isn’t only the leaders, but the people. When you said that “Anyone seen as not being at least sympathetic with the disadvantaged does not usually do well in advancing their political careers”, I realized that one of the many ways in which your country differs from ours is that the people of your country hold their leaders to a higher standard than we do here. THAT may well be a big part of our problem … we don’t get out and vote as we should, and people far too often vote for the “party” rather than the candidate, largely ignoring his/her track record.

          Ah well … I had a feeling you wouldn’t be eager to lend Ms. Ardern out, but I had to ask! I’ve asked my Canadian friends if we could borrow Justin Trudeau, and gotten much the same answer from them.

          Liked by 2 people

          • One of the great things about the MMP voting system is that I can choose the person who I feel will do the best job for my electorate and myself as an individual at a local level and being able to select the political party that I think best upholds the values that are important to me at a national level. It means that very often my electorate vote goes to a person who belongs to a different party than the party I vote for with my party vote. Around a third of all voters split their vote this way.

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            • We can do that too, but far too many here are loyal or dedicated to the party and put party ahead of people. They might literally despise the candidate they’re voting for, but will vote for him/her because of party affiliation. Or, conversely, they just won’t vote at all if they don’t like the candidate representing their party. That’s a big part of the reason we have such low voter turnout.

              Liked by 1 person

              • I think we might be talking at cross purposes. You wrote “They might literally despise the candidate they’re voting for, but will vote for him/her because of party affiliation“. That’s a dilemma every voter in the US faces. In that situation what should one do? Vote for a less despicable candidate representing the party you despise, or vote for the despicable candidate representing the party you admire? Or not vote at all?

                That’s not a dilemma I need face. First, I choose which party I prefer, and I allocate my party vote accordingly. Then I chose my electorate representative, and here I can ignore party affiliation entirely as regardless of which party the candidate represents (or no party at all) it does not affect the proportionality of party seats in Parliament. That is determined entirely on the percentage of votes each party wins in the party vote. About a third of voters split their vote in this way.

                For example in the 2020 election, I cast my party vote to the Green Party of Aotearoa (a left wing environmental party). However I was unimpressed with the Green candidate for my electorate, and of the other 7 candidates, only one impressed me, and she represented a political party to the right of centre. I voted for her because even if she did win the seat, it would have no effect on the total number of seats her party held in the Parliament.

                Here’s a simple hypothetical example: Three parties, A, B, & C compete for 10 electorate seats in a 20 seat legislature: Party A wins 5 seats, B wins 3 seats and C wins 2 seats. In the party vote, Party A wins 40% of the vote, B wins 25% and C wins 35%. This means that Party A is entitled to 8 seats (40% of the 20 seats), B is entitled to 5 seats (25% of 20 seats) and C is entitled to 7 seats (35% of 20 seats). In the legislature, the shortfall between electorate seats and entitlement is made of up of candidates taken from each party’s party list (hence the name list seats). So Party A will end up with 5 electorate seats and 3 list seats (8 seats); Party B will have 3 electorate seats and 2 list seats (5 seats); and Party C will have 2 electorate seats and 5 list seats (7 seats).

                Coalition possibilities: A+B = 13 seats; A+C = 15 seats; B+C = 12 seats.

                Hence we are more likely to vote for candidates whose character aligns with our ideals of a decent person, rather than for someone affiliated to the party that aligns with our political ideals. Does that make sense?

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    • Dear Barry and Jill,

      Hello! I have returned to make a more substantial comment. I hope that both of you have been keeping well.

      One month has elapsed since Her Royal Majesty passed away, allowing us to have some time to reflect more fully on the late Queen’s legacy.

      I have finally had the chance to publish something much lesser known about Her Royal Majesty in a special post entitled “🎼🎹 Pondering Musical Lineage on the Queen’s Birthday 👑🍰“, available at

      http://soundeagle.wordpress.com/2022/10/03/pondering-musical-lineage-on-the-queens-birthday/

      In addition, please turn on your finest speakers or headphones, as the multimedia post will be playing music to you automatically for about three and a half minutes.

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  17. The one memory everyone should carry away with them is that she was a Good Person who cared about others . Its the way most European Monarchy is raised that creates Monarchs who take their duties seriously. Holland, Sweden and Denmark and other Royal Families share this dedication to their people.I honestly thgink that if Greece tradopted thei Royal Famiily as a bulwark against a corrupt Government they’d have less problems.. Queen Elizabeth was a beacon shining brightly for her people and will be missed. The Queen is Dead, Long live The King.

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