Queen Elizabeth, passed away on 8th September 2022, this was literally yesterday (at the time of writing).
The news of the passing of the Queen has been very sad for the British people, and also for me too. Living in London for 25 years has made me understand and partake in the British culture. When I first arrived in London, I didn’t understand the reverence that the British had for Queen Elizabeth. However, over the years, I have come to greatly respect her.
I had been coming to London since 1994, but only in 1997 did I move there for good. At that time my English wasn’t very good and while I was studying the language, I took various jobs to support myself. The first job was in Southgate, North London, at a Jewish bakery. Although the job was menial, I was working with some lovely people and I was having fun. It was while working there that one morning, out of the blue, we heard the radio announcing the death of Diana Spencer. I still remember today the moment as if it was yesterday. The shop in minutes became sombre, all laughing and joking stopped and we were looking at each other thinking: Is this real? Has this really happened? Italians and people around the world loved and appreciated Diana.
The Queen, however, was a very different proposition especially to someone from another country. She felt very distant and lacked the warmth of Diana. Therefore, it took years for me to understand her sense of duty and service. Although I am not a monarchist and I do not wish to idealise a person born into a position of privilege, I think I saw how the Queen had embraced completely her role and never strayed from it. She was always aligned to the purpose of her role as she saw it. Even during seriously trying years for the royal family, she was a stable presence, completely taken by her duty.
“May you rest in peace.”
To find out more about her life, you’ll find here a tribute from the BBC:
