Death is inevitable even if you are a Queen of England. Elizabeth II had a long and consequential life by all standards, but when a figure who has been a constant is now gone, life for many is indelibly changed.
I feel it more than most, certainly most Americans. I had that august honor as an invited guest to the Garden Party at the British Embassy in Washington, D.C. during the Queen’s 2007 State Visit to America. I was then the U.K. policy advisor to the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee.
All of Washington who could score an invitation was there: politicos, diplomats, press, and even Mickey Rooney made a cameo. Suddenly, with great orchestral fanfare, the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh appeared. It was a surreal, once-in-a-lifetime moment to be that close to timeless, global icons whom I had studied and contemplated for decades. I thought that would be it—a glance of Her Majesty and His Royal Highness—but then to my great surprise, I was among those presented to the Royal Couple by the then-ambassador Sir David Manning who whispered that I was the founder of the Congressional U.K. Caucus.
Cognizant that Americans are not supposed to bow, I stuck out my hand (defying the orders of the protocol briefing everyone had received) and Her Majesty returned the gesture. I’ll never forget the satiny feel of her gloved handshake—for her just one of a million of its type.
QUEEN ELIZABETH II, LONGEST-REIGNING BRITISH MONARCH, DEAD AT 96
Over the years, I have devoted thousands of words to capturing what makes even the leaders of global superpowers humble before Queen Elizabeth. And then I had the opportunity to feel it myself. It was quite simply her presence—dignified for certain, and dressed up with her signature hat. But it was also the realization that I was having an encounter with someone of such consequential responsibility, who took quasi-religious vows to uphold, for life, her mission to represent her people, her nation, her religion, and the monarchical institution.
Hardly anyone is unfamiliar with the vow then-Princess Elizabeth made on her 21st birthday, four years before she acceded to the throne in 1952: "I declare before you all that my whole life, whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service and the service of our great imperial family to which we all belong. Fortunately, it was long. In more than 70 years on the throne, she never wavered and never disappointed. She once famously mused, "I have to be seen to be believed." In other words, while everyone knows of the Queen, she knew the vital importance of visibly touching lives.
QUEEN ELIZABETH THROUGH THE YEARS
In the era of the Hollywood film star, the monarchy under Queen Elizabeth resisted the urge to descend into mere celebrity. If one was lucky enough to meet the Queen, you knew that you just had an encounter with someone who, at the expense of a personal life and a recognizable family life, devoted all of herself to others, to nation, to duty, and to the mission of upholding the constitutional principles of freedom that so inspired the founding and ultimate rise to greatness of our own United States.
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I will carry the memory of meeting the Queen my whole life long, but even if I never had, I am aware of the blessings she bestowed upon our times. Elizabeth II always reminded, not just her citizens, but the whole world, that no matter the current crisis, better times were ahead. She inspired with her faith, her duty, her words, her presence, and the example she set. She would tell us that life will go on, even after her, but at this time it is difficult to confront a world without her presence.
But she was practical too and ensured that all loose ends were tied up, from instilling her confidence that Charles would be a good successor, publicly endorsing her daughter-in-law’s future as Queen, and even ensuring, against all ebbing of her strength, to personally shepherd a smooth transition of government to Liz Truss.
The Queen is dead. God Save the King. We will never forget, Elizabeth Regina.
