In a country known for pomp and pageantry, Britain and the world are saying a final goodbye to Queen Elizabeth II. But her death is felt around the world – in Commonwealth countries and even here in northern Michigan.
For 96 minutes before the Queen’s funeral service, a bell tolled 96 times: once every minute for each year of Queen Elizabeth II’s life.
“I was up at 5:00 in the morning this morning, ready to watch it. I put on my black and I just sat down in the dark and watched. I had my mum and sister on Facetime and we just sat in quiet and just respected it,” says David Rowney, who is originally from East London. “She’s the Queen to the world. There’s many queens and monarchs in Europe but there’s only one ‘The Queen’ when the world speaks of royalty.”
There have been just 61 monarchs of England and Britain spread over roughly 1,200 years, making this historically significant. “This is probably the most historic day in 1,000 years,” according to Rowney.
He says you’d have to go back to the 900’s to find a time equally significant. That’s when King Athelstan united all the English kingdoms under one crown creating a unified England. Another important , according to Rowney, the reign of King James I, the first King of England and Scotland, in the early 1600’s. In modern times, the Queen should get a lot of credit for her role leading the country. “Throughout all the political ups and downs she’s an anchor-point to our nation.”
Paul Skinner is also a native of the United Kingdom, growing up in a small village outside of Yorkshire, England. He says he was surprised at how “greatly saddened” he was at the Queen’s passing. “She’s a figurehead not only for our nation but the Commonwealth… She’s a well-respected and known figure around the world. I think that Great Britain’s standing around the world is higher because of the royal family.”
Roughly 2.5 billion people live in more than 50 . Rowney says, “That’s why you see all the different nations coming together. It’s a pretty powerful thing.”
Queen Elizabeth II ascended to the throne at the age of 25 when her father, King George VI passed away in 1952. Her coronation was held in 1953, and she officially became England’s longest reigning British monarch in 2015, when she exceeded her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria’s reign. Queen Elizabeth II sat on the throne for 70 years and holds the record for the second-longest serving monarch in the world, second only to French King Louis XIV who ruled for 72 years.
“It’s the longevity. It’s 70 years across the world. She’s met 14 Presidents, she had 15 Prime Ministers… six Popes have been and gone in her reign,” Rowney says. And he adds, “86% of the population have known no other monarch, given the fact it was 1952.”
Skinner agrees. “I’m mid-to-late sixties and I’ve never known another monarch. It’s going to take me forever to call Prince Charles ‘King Charles’,” he says. “Her reign went from the ending of the British Empire to what you see as the nation we are today.”
We may not see this kind of pomp and circumstance again, except for the Coronation of King Charles. “We have all the pomp and ceremony and we kind of like that. We’ve been doing that for a long time and we’re pretty good at it…. as will be the coronation when that comes along,” Skinner says. King Charles has “some very big shoes to fill, however he’s in his 70’s and has been basically training for this role for his whole life. I think the transition will be smooth and very good.”
Rowney adds, “The traditions you’re starting to see, they date back hundreds of years, thousands of years. The coronation – if not more so.”
As for what Rowney hopes Americans will learn about the Queen: “She was the guiding mark for what it means to be British, in a sense. It doesn’t matter whichever party is in power, throughout the years of her reign there was always the Queen and she was steady and straight.”
Following the funeral, the hearse carrying Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin went to her final resting place at Windsor Castle.
To learn more about the Commonwealth, . For the United Kingdom’s stance on the Commonwealth, .
You can learn more about the Queen’s life and reign .
For more about King Charles, .
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