Strange times are upon us. Queen Elizabeth II, monarch of the United Kingdom for the last seven decades, passed away yesterday afternoon. It’s a truly historic moment, I think. Not only has she been our longest serving monarch but, because of the length of her reign, she has been a fixture in the lives of so many people for their entire existence, her face on our coins, banknotes, stamps and countless souvenirs and items of popular culture. The Queen’s Speech has been a Christmas Day fixture on the television (and before it, the radio) for what seems forever. Yes, there will be those who remember the years before she became queen, but I expect that for the majority she has always been queen.

I’m not a monarchist particularly, but I’m not a hardcore republican either. I’ve generally avoided any sort of fascination or fixation on the lives of The Queen and other members of the royal family except where it became unavoidable, whether due to scandal, tragedy, royal occasions such as births and weddings, jubilee’s and, of course, deaths. Nontheless, despite my relative uninterest, her death has still left me with a feeling of sadness. I think it’s the way it demonstrates the passing of time, that nothing lasts forever, and – despite the monumentous impact of this occasion – that as the years pass, so even this will become just another section in the history books. It reminds me of my own mortality, the loss of my own loved ones, and the fact that one day I will no longer be here either.

It’s something that happens whenever someone who has had an impact on my life passes away – musicians, authors and actors are probably the obvious examples – a sad knowlege that they are gone and that they won’t be making or doing any of those things you like any more. All you’ll have is what is already there and the memories you made. In those cases though, outside of fan circles, the news tends to die down and – for those who didn’t share a connection – may go unnoticed altogether. There is little chance of escaping the death of The Queen though. All the main TV channels and radio stations are broadcasting almost nothing but the ongoing news of the situation. Radio has become sombre in it’s choice of music. Even the commercial and smaller channels are paying their respects is a variety of ways, with pictures and messages of condolence in abundance. Even outside there are signs and reminders. Electronic billboards – the sort that normally advertise movies, or McDonalds burgers – are now all showing a picture of The Queen. I passed four in close succession today. As each passed, so another would appear in the distance.

And now Queen Elizabeth II is no more, we have a king again in the shape of Charles III. It will be interesting to see how this next era of our history unfolds, although, as before, I will likely view it from a distance and, given current events, it may well be overshadowed by greater concerns. What is certain however, is that he will not reign for anything like as long as his mother did.

I searched through my archive for a relevant picture, but all I could find was the photo below featuring a bobblehead Queen (and Mr Bean).

Nikon F80, Nikkor 28-80mm f/3.5-5.6 D & Ilford HP5+.

Taken on 10 August 2022