Today as we mourn together the horrific events of 9/11, we also remember how it drew all of us together in our shared grief. Twenty-one years later, we are again brought together by our grief over the passing of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II.
The entire world grieves the passing of an incredible lady who, like her mother during the Blitz, was the "Minister of Morale." Through every crisis and every conflict from World War II on, she brought calm and hope with her happy smile, cheerfully colored couture and blue eyes "that were so full of light."
On 9/11/2001, she ordered the Coldstream Guard outside Buckingham Palace to play The Star Spangled Banner and three days later, during St. Paul's Cathedral's service for the victims of 9/11, the Queen broke all protocols by singing along to our national anthem and The Battle Hymn of the Republic while she wept.
Just as she did during her life, so too her death has bound us all together. Yesterday, in a shocking move, President Donald J. Trump and the DailyMail even buried the hatchet. His exquisite piece lovingly honoring Queen Elizabeth was featured on the DailyMail's headline for hours.
How can I possibly improve on such perfection!?
While you can read his original article by clicking here, I'm taking the liberty of quoting liberally from his piece, interspersed with photograms and videos. My own thoughts about Queen Elizabeth follow President Trump's words.
'The most extraordinary honor of my life'
Former president Donald J. Trump writes movingly for DailyMail.com of his time with the 'iconic' Queen
by President Donald J. Trump
"Few in history have more fully exemplified the traits of dignity, steadfastness, resolve, duty, and patriotic devotion.
She counseled 15 Prime Ministers and 13 Presidents, and was the longest-serving monarch in the history of England and the United Kingdom.
Spending time with Her Majesty was one of the most extraordinary honors of my life."
She counseled 15 Prime Ministers and 13 Presidents, and was the longest-serving monarch in the history of England and the United Kingdom.
Spending time with Her Majesty was one of the most extraordinary honors of my life."
"I grew up in a household where Queen Elizabeth — her grace, her charm, her nobility — were deeply admired, especially by my mother, who came from Scotland.
The times we spent with the Queen at Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle are memories Melania and I will cherish for the rest of our lives.
Her Majesty had a sharp mind, missed nothing, and always knew exactly what to say.
At our unforgettable State Dinner three years ago, we got along wonderfully, talking the whole evening.
That same week, the 75th anniversary of D-Day, we sat side-by-side to honor the sacrifice of the British and American warriors who fought and bled together in the Second World War."
The times we spent with the Queen at Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle are memories Melania and I will cherish for the rest of our lives.
Her Majesty had a sharp mind, missed nothing, and always knew exactly what to say.
At our unforgettable State Dinner three years ago, we got along wonderfully, talking the whole evening.
That same week, the 75th anniversary of D-Day, we sat side-by-side to honor the sacrifice of the British and American warriors who fought and bled together in the Second World War."
"I will forever be grateful for the privilege of getting to know this unparalleled leader.
As monarch, Her Majesty the Queen was the personal embodiment of nearly a century of British history.
Every Prime Minister from Winston Churchill onward served under her.
When I asked her who was her favorite, she told me she liked them all....
No matter what challenges came, she was always there for her people—resolute and unflappable, stabilizing and reassuring by her very presence.
In the face of all adversity, she embodied the uniquely British attribute of a firm and quiet resolve.
The qualities that served Queen Elizabeth so well as monarch also endeared her to the hearts of countless people all over the world...."
"The treasured friendship and precious bond between America and the United Kingdom, which we call the Special Relationship, meant that Her Majesty the Queen was truly special to us as well.
She was respected and beloved by the American People like few other figures in modern times.
Above all, the Queen was great because Britain is great.
In her person, the world witnessed the fullest expression of the British spirit.
The virtues she epitomized were the virtues of the British people."
She was respected and beloved by the American People like few other figures in modern times.
Above all, the Queen was great because Britain is great.
In her person, the world witnessed the fullest expression of the British spirit.
The virtues she epitomized were the virtues of the British people."
"By her example, we saw what it means to be British—a people who are strong and unwavering, wise and just, noble and majestic; a people who are serious, but good-humored; proud, but righteous; and indeed a people who are a blessing to the entire world.
That was Queen Elizabeth, and that is the United Kingdom. She was Great Britain at its very best.
It will take time for us to fully absorb the extent of this loss.
She was indispensable—a beloved Sovereign of her Kingdom, an icon to the world, a legend in her time.
As we grieve, we are comforted that King Charles III will be a great and outstanding successor to his cherished mother.
Melania and I were blessed to get to know him well when we visited England.
He dearly loves the U.K. and its people. I know he will prove to be an inspiration to the British People, and that under Charles’s reign, they will continue to persevere through all challenges, and push relentlessly onward toward their great destiny in which Queen Elizabeth II so deeply believed.
God bless the Queen. God bless her family. God bless the United Kingdom."
Queen Elizabeth: The World's Grandmother
Like 9/11, the Queen's death is one of the moments in life where you will always remember exactly where you were when you heard the news.
I was in the waiting room of the Center for Pain Management in Bemidji. Michael was undergoing preliminary testing for radiofrequency ablation of his spinal nerves when I heard the news...and burst into tears! The other gentleman in the waiting room, a proud Marine Corp veteran wearing a "Trump 2020" hat, was also profoundly saddened. Colleen, who works at the front desk at the Center, was so kind. Unflustered by my tears, she handed me kleenex and a bottle of water, a small act of kindness which meant so much.
Four days after the Queen's death, I'm still crying.
I was in the waiting room of the Center for Pain Management in Bemidji. Michael was undergoing preliminary testing for radiofrequency ablation of his spinal nerves when I heard the news...and burst into tears! The other gentleman in the waiting room, a proud Marine Corp veteran wearing a "Trump 2020" hat, was also profoundly saddened. Colleen, who works at the front desk at the Center, was so kind. Unflustered by my tears, she handed me kleenex and a bottle of water, a small act of kindness which meant so much.
Four days after the Queen's death, I'm still crying.
While some people chose the Queen's passing as a time to show-off their red-pilledness with acerbic posts on Truth Social, this is neither the time nor place.
However dysfunctional the Royal Family may be, like most of our families, they have suffered the heartbreaking loss of their beloved Mummy, Grannie and Gan-Gan.
But unlike us, the Windsor family must mourn publicly without the buffer of privacy we enjoy in times of sorrow. The only protection they have is that the BBC is strictly forbidden from showing their faces during the Queen's Funeral at Westminster Abbey on September 19th.
However dysfunctional the Royal Family may be, like most of our families, they have suffered the heartbreaking loss of their beloved Mummy, Grannie and Gan-Gan.
But unlike us, the Windsor family must mourn publicly without the buffer of privacy we enjoy in times of sorrow. The only protection they have is that the BBC is strictly forbidden from showing their faces during the Queen's Funeral at Westminster Abbey on September 19th.
Yesterday, while watching William, Kate, Harry and Meghan reunited to greet the crowds jostling behind the fence at Windsor Castle, Michael made a comment about "sheep behind a fence."
I responded, "But those sheep can walk away. They're free. William and Kate can never walk away. So who exactly is imprisoned by the fence? Perhaps it's really William and Kate. Trapped. Forever."
I responded, "But those sheep can walk away. They're free. William and Kate can never walk away. So who exactly is imprisoned by the fence? Perhaps it's really William and Kate. Trapped. Forever."
From Queen Elizabeth II, the Royal Family has learned to suppress their personal hopes and dreams in lieu of a lifetime of service.
The Queen is said to have much preferred to simply be a wife, mother and horsewoman living somewhere in the country. Instead, the glittering life of the Queen of England was foisted upon her. She didn't choose it. Given a choice, she wouldn't have chosen it.
After one glorious night of freedom on V-E Day, she submitted her will to the constant demands of the role, choosing to devote herself to the peoples of the Great Britain and the commonwealth with no hope of ever retiring. She died in harness.
Yesterday when the members of Parliament repeatedly praised her for her sacrifice, they weren't just whistling Dixie. When her uncle, David (King Edward III), abandoned his duties in 1936, she learned from her disgusted parents that Duty is inviolable. It doesn't matter what you want. Duty reigns supreme, even over the monarch.
For seventy-five years, she kept the vow she made at the age of twenty-one: "I declare before you all that my whole life whether it be long or short shall be devoted to your service..." She was blessed with long life and for seventy years, never broke her vow.
England has lost a beautiful lady whose life encompassed five popes, fifteen Prime Ministers beginning with Winston Churchill and thirteen Presidents beginning with Harry Truman.
The world has lost a courageous woman who learned to fix Jeeps during World War II and paid for the fabric of her wedding gown with ration coupons. While her family was pressured to send her and Princess Margaret to Canada for safety during the Blitz, she remained at Windsor Castle, just twenty miles from London. In the words of the Queen Mother, "The children won't go without me. I won't leave the King. And the King will never leave."
From her mother she learned that sometimes the most powerful message you can send is a silent one. During the depths of the Blitz, when the West End was pounded relentlessly each night by Nazi bombers, there was one bright spot: The Queen Mother daintily picking her way through the rubble in high heels, a jaunty hat and a bright pastel dress. Her cheerful couture was just as important as her words in her informal role as the "Minister of Morale."
That is the woman who raised Queen Elizabeth II and taught her the power of couture. Insider reported, " 'The Queen loves clothes and is a real expert on fabrics,' [Senior Dresser, Angela] Kelly said in a 2007 interview. 'It's not been a question of me teaching the Queen — it's been the other way round.' "
When not wearing bright colors for her royal duties, Queen Elizabeth dressed like anyone's grandmother in trousers, tweeds and babushka headscarves. If you look closely enough, you'll notice the Royal Pocket pinned shut with the Royal Safety Pin.
Wherever you may be, you can express your sympathy via the many online Books of Condolences. Here are just a few.
Churches, embassies and theaters across the UK and indeed the world have all created Books of Condolences. There may be one near you!
Just like the Queen herself who was unashamed to shed tears in public, her people now weep for her as do we all.
- www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11194009/Queen-Elizabeth-book-condolence.html
- www.churchofengland.org/remembering-her-majesty-queen
- www.royal.uk/send-message-condolence
Churches, embassies and theaters across the UK and indeed the world have all created Books of Condolences. There may be one near you!
Just like the Queen herself who was unashamed to shed tears in public, her people now weep for her as do we all.
We mourn with our cousins across the pond for a monarch who became the World's Grandmother. She was dear to us all. She will never be surpassed nor forgotten. Paddington Bear, who brought such joy to all of our childhoods and had the honor of taking tea (well, kinda' sorta') with the Queen for her Platinum Jubilee, said it simply and said it best: |
This post first appeared on Lenora Thompson, Writer Of Narcissism, please read the originial post: here
