{"id":222093,"date":"2023-09-08T05:47:38","date_gmt":"2023-09-08T05:47:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/allworldreport.com\/?p=222093"},"modified":"2023-09-08T05:47:38","modified_gmt":"2023-09-08T05:47:38","slug":"the-darkest-day-celebrating-devoted-queens-amazing-life-and-sad-death-one-year-on","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/allworldreport.com\/celebrities\/the-darkest-day-celebrating-devoted-queens-amazing-life-and-sad-death-one-year-on\/","title":{"rendered":"The darkest day \u2013 celebrating devoted Queen\u2019s amazing life and sad death, one year on"},"content":{"rendered":"

She may have been the longest-serving monarch in British royal history, but the Queen\u2019s death on 8 September, 2022 \u2013 after a record-breaking 70 years on the throne \u2013 nonetheless came as a devastating blow to the nation.<\/p>\n

Unrealistic as it may have seemed, many of us simply thought she would go on forever.<\/p>\n

She had been a pillar of stability throughout the lives of generations of Britons \u2013 a steadying hand guiding her people during troubled times, but also a figurehead for celebration during some of our country\u2019s most triumphant moments.<\/p>\n

So when she finally passed away \u201cpeacefully\u201d, aged 96, at her beloved Balmoral estate in Scotland, the grief was palpable.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a seismic shock to everybody,\u201d says royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams. \u201cHer death had been anticipated, for obvious reasons, but everybody hoped it would somehow be put off. I expect that was the case for the royal family as well.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere was a hope that, with the Queen Mother\u2019s longevity and the fact that the late Duke of Edinburgh nearly made it to 100, that would possibly be what would happen with the Queen, too.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe fact that it didn\u2019t was something that I think everyone was so sad about.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fortunately, behind-the-scenes preparations \u2013 decades in the making \u2013 ensured as smooth a transition as possible when she left us.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

So while there might have been fears of a period of instability following her death, we were quickly reassured by the actions of her successor, King Charles III, who couldn\u2019t have been better prepared for the role ahead of him.<\/p>\n

At the age of 73, he became the oldest monarch ever to accede to the throne.<\/p>\n

But his composed, authoritative address to the nation, the day after his mother died, was pivotal in assuaging the concerns of the British public.<\/p>\n

As he vowed to serve Britons and members of the Commonwealth \u201cas the Queen did herself, with such unswerving devotion\u201d, Charles made it clear he would be following his mother\u2019s example, having learnt from the best.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat we have seen since the Queen\u2019s death is a sense of continuity being reinforced,\u201d says royal historian Tracy Borman.<\/p>\n

\u201cBefore the Queen died, there was a real sense of uncertainty. But the monarchy is used to that, so they\u2019ve got this very well-oiled machine to put in place this sense of \u2018business as usual\u2019 and I think we\u2019ve seen that.<\/p>\n

\u201cCharles was immediately at work doing his duties, taking on the mantle of royal power and the royal titles.\u201d<\/p>\n

Our new King has already shown himself to be a strong figurehead, with his wife, Queen Camilla, 75, providing valuable support at his side.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cThe King\u2019s first address to the nation was very, very good \u2013 possibly his best,\u201d says royal commentator Hugo Vickers.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe advantage of a hereditary monarchy is that you get this person who\u2019s been trained from day one. I think King Charles now just wants to do his best, realising, of course, that he may have a limited time on the throne. He\u2019s an old man in a hurry.\u201d<\/p>\n

Like the rest of us, Charles has spent the past year adjusting to life without the Queen. In addition to dealing with his own personal loss, he has been forced to tackle what must have been some of the toughest challenges of his royal career.<\/p>\n

At his mother\u2019s flawless funeral on 19 September last year, he was a composed and dignified presence, while in May of this year, he navigated his own coronation with regal poise, getting the tone of the occasion just right.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

But he also had to contend with the accusations levelled at his family in his son Prince Harry\u2019s memoir, Spare.<\/p>\n

Seeming to adhere to the \u201cnever complain, never explain\u201d strategy long associated with Queen Elizabeth, Charles has kept a dignified silence, refusing to fan the flames of controversy with any official riposte.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think the King has been remarkably self-controlled in not making any public statement at all,\u201d says Hugo. \u201cBecause it must have
been awful for him.\u201d <\/p>\n

Instead, Charles has focused on the considerable job in hand.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

This year, he and Camilla have had a packed schedule, fulfilling both joint and solo engagements at home and abroad.<\/p>\n

In addition to hosting foreign dignitaries at the various royal palaces, the couple travelled to Germany in March on their first official overseas state visit as King and Queen.<\/p>\n

And while they may not yet foster quite the same degree of public affection as the late Queen did, Charles and Camilla are proving, as a couple, that they are willing to work hard to continue her legacy and maintain the enduring popularity and profile of the royal family.<\/p>\n

Their mission, says Richard, has been made all the more achievable thanks to one of the late Queen\u2019s parting gifts to the new King \u2013 stating that it was her wish for Camilla to become Queen.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s no doubt that one of the Queen\u2019s masterstrokes on the eve of her Platinum Jubilee year was to state that her wish was that Camilla should be Queen Consort,\u201d says Richard.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Queen laid this out in a way that made things a lot easier and I think that the acceptance of Camilla \u2013 and there\u2019s no doubt that she is accepted \u2013 is linked to the way the Queen handled that.\u201d<\/p>\n

What\u2019s more, Charles can take comfort in the fact that those who adored his mother will, on the whole, be behind him in his role as our monarch.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe thing that\u2019s very important in this whole business is that the Queen would expect us all to support her successor in every possible way,\u201d says Hugo. \u201cShe\u2019d be the first person to say, \u2018There\u2019s a new reign \u2013 get on with it, celebrate it and embrace it.\u2019<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cEverything the Queen did was always about trying to make things easier for us, so I do hope Charles and Camilla continue in that way. I\u2019m sure their commitment and service and sense of duty is absolutely in place.\u201d<\/p>\n

As to whether Charles and Camilla can maintain the popularity and relevance of the royal family in the years to come, Tracy believes it\u2019s all about following the late Queen\u2019s tried and tested formula.<\/p>\n

\u201cThroughout history, if people can see that the monarch is working hard and is dutiful, then they will forgive them a lot. That\u2019s the legacy they need to continue \u2013 that sense of being dutiful,\u201d says Tracy, author of Crown & Sceptre.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo if Charles and Camilla have \u2018duty\u2019 as their watchword going forward, I don\u2019t think they can go too far wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

While many of us still deeply miss Queen Elizabeth\u2019s comforting presence, we can at least look back on her incredible life achievements and legacy with great pride.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo one else made a promise at the age of 21 and kept it faithfully for 75 years. For that alone she will be remembered,\u201d says Hugo.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe was extraordinary \u2013 what she did, the calm vision she had to be our Queen and the way, day after day, month after month, year after year, she steered the country.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe fact that she was there was terribly reassuring. If you felt that governments were changing and all sorts of strange things were happening, there, still, was the Queen. We were very lucky to have her for so long.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n