The passing of the Queen - a sad day
We've just learned in the last few minutes that the Queen has passed away. I'm from Scotland, I am Scottish, but I'm also British. This is a big deal here. When it comes to Royalty in the UK I'm neither strongly against or for them, I'm probably slightly for them. And in Britain the variation across that is quite drastic, everyone has a different opinion.
[An old wall gate to the town of Alnwick, taken in August this year with a union jack flower bed to celebrate the queens 70th jubilee]
I've lived my whole life (50 years) in Britain, and she has always been there. The royal family are regularly on the news. I've visited Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle, the Castle of Mey and the Royal Yacht Britannia (which is actually here in Edinburgh now). I've seen royal family members on a number of occasions. So for me she has been a constant throughout my life.
[Covent Garden in London decorated for the jubilee when we visited in June this year]
And as can be seen from the pictures in this post - the Queen was celebrated everywhere you went in Britain, especially this year with it being her 70th Anniversary.
My wife and I were quite stunned when the news came through today. My wife learned that the Queen was ill while she was at work this afternoon, and phoned me as I was walking home. We then watched the BBC news together with our daughter to get updates, when finally it was announced.
[A display in a hotel I stayed in, in Lytham St Annes in May this year while away from home with work]
This will dominate the news and discussion here in the coming days. And now we also have a new King - he might be King Charles the third, if he retains the name Charles (they sometimes change it). This will also be strange. He has been the heir to the throne for a heck of a long time, and takes to the throne at the age of 73. There has long been discussion in the UK around how long he has had to wait and when he will get his turn. He is also not as popular as the Queen was. It will be interesting to see if his approach will differ and how the public will take to him.
[Crowds gathering in Trafalgar Square during the Queens Jubilee weekend in London in June this year]
I'm still in shock. This is a big change for Britain. A sad day indeed.
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Very sad, I had the pleasure to meet her as a ten year old when she came to our school's 150th in Edinburgh.
Wow - that is pretty cool. I never met her personally but they used to drive past our house each year when the Queen Mother still visited the castle of Mey in the north of Scotland. The royal yacht would get moored up at Scrabster, and they drive through Thurso where I lived on the way to and from the castle, and we used to go out to the road end to wave to them.
It reminds me of when Diana died.
Aye - quite similar, I remember that quite vividly too