I’ve been watching closely over the last week or so the reaction of the British people to the passing of Queen Elizabeth.
One of the very large takeaways from that observation is what the Queen stood for throughout her life. She was doing her duty right up to the end, particularly going through the machinations of forming a new government. Certainly, an example of devotion to duty. For devotion to family, her deep rooted Christianity, all of these things and geared her to the British people and to people around the world.
At least in terms of the British people the positive feelings about those values have been more or less covert for years now. It has been fashionable to at least publicly dismiss those values.
With the Queen’s passing however, comes the sense that something important has been lost if those values, and suddenly they are more overtly expressed and held. The outpouring of love and respect for the queen demonstrates a love and respect for those values that she so unwaveringly represented in her life, and makes one Wonder a little about the true inner feelings of the British people for those values.
As Joni Mitchell once said, don’t it always seem to go that you Don’t know what you got till it’s gone. I have observed previously in these spaces that during times of loss we return to our baseline values and make our judgments from that standpoint, not from whatever happens to be fashionable at the moment. I’ve even seen chatter about making her a saint. Nice sentiment but unlikely.
I quietly suggest that we have been witness to that phenomenon once again this past week, and I wonder a little at the revelation that those values never really went away in the minds of the people there. I wonder, too, if Charles will find it within himself to carry on with those values and those qualities.
I have expressed serious doubts on that point in these spaces immediately following the Queen’s passing. I hope I’m wrong. But I wonder.
I wonder too if the British people have forgiven him for the situation with princess Diana who I dare say had a lot more affection from the British people than Charles ever has.
He’s got a lot of things to overcome and he’s got a big pair of shoes to fill. It’ll be interesting to see if he can manage it.