The Queen is dead, long live the King

[Rommie]

I think there's no argument that the passing of Queen Elizabeth II is really the end of a defining era. If I was a historian a few hundred years from now I'd be tempted to call post-WWII Britain the "Elizabethan era" if they didn't already have an era called that.

I wonder what is going to happen next, because Charles is 73 and is definitely not his mother. (It's so wild to think about waiting until that age to do the job you were on Earth to do.) I'm at a conference now and the Australians at lunch said there's basically a committee set up that was waiting for her passing to now push through the long-wanted shift to a republic- there was a referendum in 1999 and it almost went through, and now they think it will. Makes me wonder how many other nations will do the same...

It has also occurred to me btw that I suppose there won't be another Queen of England in my lifetime, most likely. Never say never I suppose, knowing the drama of that family, but kinda weird to think about.

Also, I know a lot of people dislike the monarchy and all that, but I hate that so many people can't do the nuance from that point to not saying mean things about an old lady dying. I'm pretty sure anyone who was in the public eye for 96 years in a capacity where they can't say personal things would have something you don't like at some point, and the fact remains that she was a remarkable woman who did a helluva lot better job at stability during unstable times than most people would. But then I guess it's not the first such time where people don't always get the dividing line between making a point and being hurtful.

[pumpkinpi]

I saw brite post on facebook this too--The Queen is dead, long live the King

In this day an age that seems like an insensitive way of saying it. As in, thank goodness she's gone. But I know you two are not insensitive, so being too lazy to look it up I assume that's a traditional proclamation.

[Rommie]

It is- well traditionally "the king is dead, long live the king!" Back in the day when you didn't have the BBC to tell everyone it's the phrase they used to call out to herald that the old king has passed.

[SciFiFisher]

It is- well traditionally "the king is dead, long live the king!" Back in the day when you didn't have the BBC to tell everyone it's the phrase they used to call out to herald that the old king has passed.

It is worth mentioning that the phrase is meant to reassure the population that things will go on normally.

[pumpkinpi]

MrPi did end up going to England, though his soccer game was cancelled.
He just texted me from along the procession route where the coffin will arrive tonight. He said police told the crowd they should plan to be there a minimum of 90 minutes. He doesn't plan to stay.