Dignified, gracious, composed, Queen Elizabeth the Second leaves us an example of duty done, and done over as long a spell as one can expect. The United Kingdom has been fortunate in having such a monarch at such a time. We needed an emblem of unity and we found it in her.
Tributes will abound and rightly so. Our troubled times have benefited from her presence and constancy.
We can also accept a reminder of our shared humanity. James Shirley in ‘Death the Leveller’ gave expression to this. ‘Sceptre and crown must tumble down and in the dust be equal made with the poor crooked scythe and spade.’
A long reign brought to an end and a sense of duty that was part of it give us encouragement in our own lives as citizens and subjects.
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