Goodbye and rest well HRH Queen Elizabeth. A momentous event in British history.
Sorry, ANOTHER momentous event in British history. It feels like we’re in a pin ball machine pinging from one almighty event to another.
Starting with London 2012. The Summer Olympics. Flags were flown. Athletes became everyday, household names. We chatted about Sir Mo Farrah like a friend we’d just met in the Spar grabbing a pint of semi skimmed.
All the gloriously British things keep coming.
We’ve blundered from one event to the next, trying so hard to enforce our quintessential Britishness on everyone.
That James Bond moment
See here China! Keep your breathtaking opening ceremony. The most British male ever, James Bond (or Daniel Craig, this time) would usher in Her Majesty in spectacular fashion, resplendent in peach, to officially open our ‘gig’.
All directed, naturally, by the most infamous Mancunian lad, Danny Boyle.
The following few years saw me building my own business. Full of hope and anticipation. The chance to give our children a future by working hard and, other than a Scottish Referendum, to not have time to notice what was going on in the world for a hot moment.
2015. One name. Aylan Kurdi. We watched in horror as footage showed his tiny body wash up on a Turkish beach. But hey, what’s that to do with us – we’re a tiny island over here minding our own business after all, aren’t we?
The utter disbelief
What can we say about 2016? If I listen closely, I can still hear the sound of my utter disbelief.
David Cameron led the charge and in June we stuck two fingers up at Europe. It took me longer to get over my sheer devastation regarding Brexit than it did for David Cameron’s ink to dry on his resignation. Right then Dave lad. Off. You. Pop.
Never mind the crashing pound. Never mind the hearts of Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Gibraltar collectively breaking in stunned disbelief. Just go and leave us. With…Teresa May. We nearly didn’t bother coming home from our European holiday. They might never let us back in.
Still in 2016. Trump was elected President of the United States of America. Is this the real world or a twisted reality show we’ve woken up in?
But wait, there was more
Did we have anything to talk about in 2017 other than Trump’s juvenile antics and Article 50? A terrorist attack in London or a snap general election?
Don’t panic – remember, you’ve a shiny new 12-sided £1 coin to spend. Even if it’s no longer worth what it once was. Grenfell Tower? No wonder Big Ben stopped chiming.
Prince Louis’ birth in April 2018 and Kate still looked incredible when Harry married Meghan a mere month later. Skip to July 2019 and the big jolly joke that is Boris became PM. Ha Ha Ha seriously? Boris AND Trump? I’ve seen it all now.
Oh really 2019? Hold my pint said 2020 – let me introduce you to my friend Covid. Don’t you wish you only had Brexit to moan about now?
Now we say goodbye
And now? Now we have to say goodbye to The Queen. To Liz. Regardless of your views on the monarchy, consider the past 10 years alone. Wars. A pandemic. And there she was sitting alone at the funeral of the man she married at the tender age of 21.
She worked right up until two days before she died. Imagine Boris Johnson and Liz Truss being amongst the last people you saw before you passed? No thank you. Not for me.
The Queen raised four children, smoothing over the trials and tribulations of each of them. All under the constant scrutiny of the public eye.
I don’t deny the wealth and privilege. I abhor the scandals and criticise the mistakes.
But I don’t envy her ‘no win’ situation. She had to tolerate Boris and Trump. Although surely her ingenious appearances with Daniel Craig and Paddington Bear cancelled that out.
And, as a mother of three girls, I’m grateful they lived through a time when the country had a female as head of state. Someone who strove to make some changes and undertake her duties diligently. The next three reigning monarchs will likely all be Kings.
RIP Queen Elizabeth, thank you for your love of Scotland, dogs, horses, and for your unwavering service throughout it all.
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