Queen Elizabeth II ~ 1926 / 2022 ~ Rest in peace most glorious Queen!

Today is a monumental day for the people of the United Kingdom. After more than 70 years on the throne, Queen Elizabeth II has died. She was 96 and, as she had done all her life, she was performing public duties up until the very end.
Every Christmas, families sat down in the afternoon to listen to her traditional address, often at times when unity and direction was needed by many. From an early age, she showed signs of understanding how she fitted in with the rest of the population. During the war, a young Princess Elizabeth insisted upon joining the Auxiliary Territorial Service, the women’s branch of the British Army and trained as a mechanic. On the day the war ended in Europe, dressed in uniform, she slipped into the crowds with her sister to enjoy the festivities, pulling her cap down over her eyes to avoid being recognised. Her visit to Aberfan after the catastrophic collapse of a colliery spoil tip in 1966 was a significant moment in the outpouring of grief across the UK at the incomprehensible tragedy and she returned several times afterwards. And last year, she never wavered in her role as a figurehead as she sat alone and masked at the funeral of her husband, Philip, to whom she was married for 73 years. The Queen put public service at the centre of her life until the very end. May she rest in peace.

Queen Elizabeth II