Susanne Mason
Nobody considered it possible, but it has indeed happened. On Friday September 8th in her much loved Balmoral Castle Queen Elizabeth II died. Whether monarchist or not, for a sizeably proportion of people in these Isles the Queen was a pillar of strength who, a mother figure in the background, unwaveringly and impartially accompanied them.
Just two days earlier she had received her fifteenth prime minister. This time it was the female Tory, Liz Truss, to whom the tiny 96 year-old Queen, looking very fragile and holding on to her stick, offered her hand. This is how “Lillibeth” was – always conscious of her duty, a wry smile on her lips, stiff upper lip, very British.
As sovereign she accompanied the nation for more than 70 years through good times and through crises and turbulence (e.g. Falkland, Corona, Brexit), yet she never took sides. Albeit short, her positive image took a bit of a wobble after Diana’s death when she failed to show sufficient empathy in public. But she quickly made this good.
And now we are in for King Charles III and his Queen Consort, Camilla. All eyes are on them. After all, a Prince of Wales for 74 years, he has had ample time to prepare himself for the task.
Whoever would like to learn more about the Queen should take a look at the four series of “The Crown” on Netflix, which, although sometimes laced with fiction, present a very entertaining overview. Alternatively, speak to one of your former seconded UK colleagues. After all, they were all ‘Crown Servants’!
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The Queen was known for her sense of humor. This is also shown by the well-known Paddington clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7UfiCa244XE
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Collage: Susanne Mason - Titel/Menü: GEO
