A heartfelt goodbye to Queen Elizabeth II with an eye on the British future

The sky, as if the rumor and the news traveled through the clouds, seemed to understand this Thursday the British concern and fear of losing their kingdom. He thundered and discharged water with rage and melancholy, while Thousands of people approached the gates of Buckingham Palace while the death of Elizabeth II was known.

“She is my queen, the only one I have ever had,” said one of the curious who was walking around the royal palace in London.

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But this time there was no goodbye. The body of the queen expired in Balmoral (Scotland) although part of her heart, which is made up of her people, will remain forever in Buckingham.

In the early afternoon, fans, tourists and journalists began to congregate there, concerned about the state of health of the queen, after a statement issued by the Palace. At 7:30 pm the news was confirmed.

Through tears, silence fell and shortly after, the national anthem “God save the Queen” began to play. “Oh no!” was heard from the crowd.

(You can see: In photos: thousands of Britons mourn the death of Elizabeth II in Buckingham)

Tributes to Queen Elizabeth II on the streets of London.

Since then, thousands of people of all generations have flocked to the gates of the Palace. Some cried, others carried bouquets of flowers. Applause was heard from time to time. “We have come to pay tribute to him. She was like a grandmother to the nation. She was our conscience. She is a huge loss,” said Sophie, a 27-year-old Englishwoman.

Instantaneously, the careful machinery that had been prepared for years for this occasion was activated. Buckingham Palace lowered its flag to half-staff, while a servant hung the mandatory official notification of death on the gates of the complex.

Elizabeth II was perhaps the greatest living figure of the 20th century, dead other universal names such as Nelson Mandela or John Paul II. For millions of people she was the queen. To dry. The only one most people had ever known.

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Tributes to Queen Elizabeth II outside Buckingham Palace.

“I have lived here for 20 years, and they love their queen very much. In Spain we cannot understand it, we see it differently. Here even the Republicans respect it,” said another present.

And it is that its transcendence entered more into the field of the symbolic than the political, by embodying – as the British Prime Minister, Liz Truss, described – the “rock” on which the modern United Kingdom was built. There are not a few Britons who call themselves “orphans” and mourn their absence in the face of the uncertainty caused by Brexit, the pandemic and the war in Ukraine.

She was like a grandmother to the nation. She was our conscience. It’s a huge loss

That’s why, the task for the new king Carlos III seems titanic, given that not only must he take the reins of the nation, but he will do so lacking the popular affection that his mother did enjoy.

(Keep reading: Queen Elizabeth II: 40 facts about the late British monarch)

Of course, analysts agree that if something is embedded in the hearts of the British it is the monarchy. Therefore, in the midst of the protocols for the farewell of Queen Elizabeth, the next two weeks will shake up a country accustomed to the same monarch for 70 years, longer than 85 percent of the population has been alive.

Robert Hazell, professor of constitutional law at University College London, predicted that “the queen’s death will mark a major turning point.”

The British came with flower arrangements to accompany the royal family in pain.

Although for the moment the polls indicate that the British do not want a constitutional change in favor of a republic, the future of the monarchy under the reign of Carlos is uncertain and doubts arise as to whether he will be the last great British monarch.

The new king will have to lead an almost immutable institution in a country that has changed beyond recognition since his mother ascended the throne. His kingdom also faces potential rift as Scotland pushes for independence and an uncertain position in the world after leaving the European Union.

Hazell also opens the door to a smaller role for the crown in the Commonwealth, when some of those countries – which still have the queen as head of state – could declare themselves republics, as Barbados did in 2021.

(Also: The story of Prince Charles, the new king of England)

But from there to imagining a domino effect there is an unlikely step, at least in the short term, says the expert. Well, in addition to a referendum, the transition to a republic would require the support of the political class.

In that sense, the monarchy has a chance of surviving as long as it adapts to “a new world away from the values that prevailed in the last century, when Elizabeth was crowned,” public relations expert Mark Borkowski told AFP.

Isabel II assumed the throne in 1925 after the death of her father.

“No one knows what form it will take, but it will have to show a change”, which will now depend only on Carlos III.

In the immediate term, the British will continue to say goodbye to their queen in acts that will last for the next ten days. And in the memory of many, the image of the rainbow in Windsor will remain forever, which came out moments after her death was confirmed.

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