It's weird, I've never considered myself a "royalist" but this news has affected me quite strongly. I just burst into tears unexpectedly on hearing this news and I don't quite understand why I feel so very sad. I guess I have grown up and lived my whole life (as a Brit) seeing and hearing the Queen, singing "God save the Queen" etc, and this news made me suddenly feel very old, very nostalgic, with the sense that all things pass in time, which makes my heart ache deeply.
I gotta admit that it <i>is</i> a bit weird to see british royalty being so heavily privileged that they even get special moderation treatment here on HN to protect them (?) from any negativity, or rather stop negativity about them.<p>I'm not keen on the idea of using this submission to flame the Queen, I obviously agree with the general rule of avoiding flamebait, what I mean is that other HN submissions on the deaths of people certainly didn't get this special treatment. It is also not at all enforced in both directions when looking at the obviously and comically over the top positive comments of low quality which contain no real substance.<p><i>Edit:</i> I used the wording "stop negativity" which might be misleading, since (as far as I am aware) no comments are being deleted. What I'm talking about is moderation giving out a <i>lot</i> of warnings and keeping a closer watch on "flamebait" violations than I've ever seen before on <i>any</i> submission.
> From commoners to heads of state, the queen has been known to smooth over embarrassing situations with a gentle quip or two. According to Blaikie, at a Buckingham Palace Garden Party, a woman was chatting with the queen when her cell phone embarrassingly started ringing. “You’d better answer that,” the queen told her. “It might be someone important.”<p>> Then there was the notorious incident that occurred during Charles and Madame de Gaulle’s state visit to Buckingham Palace. “Somebody asked Madame de Gaulle what she was most looking forward to in her retirement, which was imminent,” Blaikie writes. “Not speaking English much at all, she replied, ‘A penis.’ Consternation reigned for some time but it was the queen herself who came to the rescue. ‘Ah, happiness,’ she said.”<p><a href="https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2021/08/behind-queen-elizabeths-surprising-wit" rel="nofollow">https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2021/08/behind-queen-elizab...</a>
Winston Churchill (1951–55)<p>Anthony Eden (1955–57)<p>Harold Macmillan (1957–63)<p>Alec Douglas-Home (1963–64)<p>Harold Wilson (1964–70)<p>Edward Heath (1970–74)<p>Harold Wilson (1974–76)<p>James Callaghan (1976–79)<p>Margaret Thatcher (1979–90)<p>John Major (1990–97)<p>Tony Blair (1997–07)<p>Gordon Brown (2007–10)<p>David Cameron (2010–16)<p>Theresa May (2016–19)<p>Boris Johnson (2019–22)<p>Liz Truss (2022 (two days ago) - current)<p>Quite the reign! Can't help but feel a bit sad really.
I remember clearly the time when Princess Diana died (1997). For me, it was THE moment when I understood the impact of the Internet. I was randomly browsing the web during the night in Mexico, and suddenly I started to see websites (I think Yahoo and MSN at that time) showing the news. I went to sleep without giving it too much attention.<p>Next day, all the news in my country were mentioning the death as breaking news. My mind was blown over how I knew about this very important event the night before Mexico TV broke the news.<p>May the Queen rest in Peace.
This is probably the only death of a public figure that has really hit me hard. The Queen was a constant all of my life, all of my parents' lives and, indeed, a good deal of my grandparents' lives. The comfort she could bring to many is not to be underestimated in my view. When Covid-19 was kicking off in the UK, and our lives were changing in ways we couldn't predict, I remember being immensely comforted by her speech.
Imagine being groomed to do this job from birth, with no real way to opt out[1]. You wanted to breed horses, become a blacksmith or start a business? Get that nonsense out of your head, you're a princess!<p>Then, when you're 25, your daddy dies aged only 56 and after a rather brief period of mourning you get pushed into taking his job in a pompous ceremony. Now you're going to be doing this until you die. No retirement! I bet there were times where Lilibet just wanted to go to her room and cry.<p>I wouldn't have wanted her job for all the wealth and power that came with it.<p>[1] Well, you could make a big scandal about marrying an American divorcee, but that didn't go down too well for the last guy.
Fun facts:<p>- She ruled for 30% of the time since the American Revolution<p>- She oversaw the largest reduction of landholdings of any empire in the history of the world. Notable because it was also one of the most peaceful transitions in history -- Australia, Canada, South Africa, Israel, Egypt, etc.<p>- She oversaw the loss of Sterling the world reserve currency and the rise of another (the USD, EU).
This lady represents British military violence to millions of black and brown people around the world. I don't understand why people, especially the British, aren't ashamed of this person.<p>India alone had $45 trillion dollars of wealth looted from the country: <a href="https://video.vice.com/en_us/video/how-britain-stole-dollar45-trillion-from-india-with-trains/5f0daf981081ce619c33ac73" rel="nofollow">https://video.vice.com/en_us/video/how-britain-stole-dollar4...</a><p>Literally millions of Indians died as a result of deliberate policies of colonization and economic enslavement by the British.<p>Their history in Africa is too chilling to even recount here.<p>In 7 decades as a figurehead and leader of her people, she never apologized for these crimes, and continued to quietly benefit from the spoils of war.<p><a href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/true-story-koh-i-noor-diamondand-why-british-wont-give-it-back-180964660/" rel="nofollow">https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/true-story-koh-i-noor...</a>
As a Brit I'm not a huge fan of the royal family on principle, but Queen Elizabeth has been such an excellent head of state for us you really can't fault her.<p>People like to make out her life was easy and that it's not fair that she inherited such a privileged position, but I think the exact opposite. Her life seemed like living hell to me. Every day for the last 70 years she's had to serve this largely ungrateful country, and she did so without complaint. Even in her 90s she took her duties extremely seriously, and I respect the hell out of her for that.<p>It was only a couple of days ago she invited our new PM to Balmoral Castle to form a government. She was clearly looking weak and it's been no secret that she's been struggling to fulfil her duties as Queen for a while, but even just two days before her death at the age of 96 she put on the performance that was expected of her. And she did this practically every day of her life.<p>RIP. I doubt anyone will ever live up to her legacy. Despite all the problems I have with the royal family, I couldn't feel more pride that she was our Queen.
I am sad for her passing. Was tuned into the news all afternoon waiting for the announcement even thought the writing was clearly on the wall and the announcement still made me tear up.<p>But for all the talk of duty, morals, and leadership I saw none of that in the Queen. I saw a figurehead. Shaking hands and listening but what did she contribute? Definitely not morals or direction.<p>People talk of her speech in 2020 during Covid in which she spoke about WW2 and how we need to stand together. And for me that just makes me feel that she could have made a huge difference in the global struggles that we are going to face coping with climate change. She could have made a real difference last year or 10 years ago. Or 40 years ago.<p>Her son has been more vocal about caring for the environment. Is it too much to hope that he will spend some of his influence swaying the new UK PM away from her reactionary pro-fossil fuel agenda. As the climate crisis starts to feel more and more like a existential threat is it foolish to hope for an ally.<p>The Queen is dead. Long live the King
Queen Elizabeth shepherded Britain through one of the longest periods of peace, and stability in our history. I hope King Charles will continue that tradition.<p>I always remember this letter she wrote in a old copy of Burke's Peerage, on why she was banning the use of foreign titles.<p>"As chaste women ought not to cast their eyes on any other than their own husbands, so neither ought subjects to cast their eyes upon any other prince than him whom God hath set over them. I would not have my sheep branded with another man's mark; I would not have them follow the whistle of a strange shepherd."
-Queen Elizabeth II 1926 - 2022<p>God save the Queen. And protect us all from strange shepherds.
Britain’s plan for when Queen Elizabeth II dies: POLITICO has obtained documents laying out Operation LONDON BRIDGE in granular detail<p><a href="https://www.politico.eu/article/queen-elizabeth-death-plan-britain-operation-london-bridge/" rel="nofollow">https://www.politico.eu/article/queen-elizabeth-death-plan-b...</a>
As a Brit who's never really "followed" the Royals - I gotta say this makes me sad. The Queen stood for so much, in such a dignified way. May she rest in peace
> In a statement, Buckingham Palace said: "The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon. The King and the Queen Consort will remain at Balmoral this evening and will return to London tomorrow."<p>Hearing "The King" in this context will take a <i>long time</i> getting used to.
I really feel that Charles should at least consider passing on the Crown to his son William. William and Kate are immensely popular. It would be a good thing for Great Britain, British people as well as for the Royal Family. Charles and Camilla are the opposite in terms of respect and popularity to William and Kate, as far as I understand. If Charles does that, he would write himself into the annals of British history. I am not from GB, so I may be misreading the situation.
I am a republican i.e. very anti-monarchist but it is a historic moment and I feel sad for some reason. The end of an era. A constant throughout the postwar period in this country. Someone my gran loved too and looked up to, so I feel pretty sad as a Brit.
-- Queen Elizabeth was cool in my books because - she was pretty quippy -<p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgQpcC-ne64" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgQpcC-ne64</a><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8rd1v2OX6vE" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8rd1v2OX6vE</a><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sAD6P_y-ZAo" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sAD6P_y-ZAo</a>
--
Whilst I sympathise with people's personal feelings relating to this death it makes me really sad that one privileged and utterly protected and cocooned life has this impact whilst daily we walk by malnourished people on the streets without a second thought.<p>And that is in the first world countries, god help those in the 3rd world countries.
World has lost a person of great decency and stability in a time of increasing nationalism and unhinged politicians. Regardless views on monarchy and “the firm’s “ happenings the Queen was a standout beacon of loyalty and commitment that we all could learn from and whom commanded utmost respect from everyone.<p>I was born in UK but grew up in NZ and now I live in HK and wherever I have been over the decades the Queen is known, recognised and respected. She totally lived her role and the world is a better place for it.
Queen Elizabeth II’s first official photograph from 70 years ago:<p><a href="https://www.thesun.co.uk/fabulous/18050875/queen-first-official-photograph-70-years-countdown-platinum-jubilee/" rel="nofollow">https://www.thesun.co.uk/fabulous/18050875/queen-first-offic...</a><p>Queen Elizabeth II’s last official photograph from 2 days ago:<p><a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11185023/The-Queen-meets-incoming-Prime-Minister-Liz-Truss.html" rel="nofollow">https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11185023/The-Queen-...</a>
This is an interesting world event, but I'm confused that it is considered on-topic here on HN. I had thought that non-technical news did not belong on HN.
Can somebody please clarify the guidelines as to what is considered topical?
I am not British but I see monarchy positively.<p>She was indeed an interesting character, witty, frail yet fierce, out of this time and truly royal.<p>It’s definitely the end of an era, that makes me a little bit nostalgic.<p>I have been thinking about this for the past two hours, rewatching the speech she gave at 21. She was hesitant, unsure, obviously unprepared for the death of her father, yet she became a queen at the blink of an eye.<p>One of my favorite speech, very human, a young lady suddenly realize the weight of her destiny, pledge to put her life, her only life, aside for the rest of her life. She spent the next 70 years being the Queen, no matter what, never complained, never showed any sign of weaknesses, relentlessly performing diplomatic duties.<p>Being right for 70 years is difficult. I think she genuinely tried.
I admired her grace and incredible sensitivity to the role she played. To use an Americanism: "they don't make 'em like her anymore"
From the NY Times: "Her personal behavior, unlike that of most of her family, was beyond reproach, never tainted by even the remotest hint of scandal. Elizabeth offered her subjects a mirror of the high moral standards that many might aspire to but most generally fail to attain."<p><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/08/world/europe/queen-elizabeth-dead.html" rel="nofollow">https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/08/world/europe/queen-elizab...</a>
I was born in the UK, in 1963. Because of my step-father's love of first-wave UK punk, the first thing I did on hearing this news was to play the Sex Pistol's "God Save the Queen".<p>It is remarkable how much the Queen's standing has improved during the time since that song (1977). My (UK) family are (as far as I know) staunch republicans, but the last couple of decades have seen all of us soften our disgust with the monarchy as Elizabeth represented it. We might still want the whole concept destroyed, but there is nothing close to the vehemence of Johnny Rotten (Lydon)'s lyrics from that song.<p>Nevertheless, that is how a bunch of people felt in 1977, and as our memories become even more gilded and rose goggled now that she has died, it may be worth remembering those feelings too:<p><i>God save the queen /
The fascist regime /
They made you a moron /
A potential H bomb /
God save the queen /
She's not a human being /
and There's no future /
And England's dreaming</i><p>These days, I think even us staunch republicans/anti-monarchists would begrudgingly admit that "She could have been worse" and that she actually was a human being.<p>Maybe Charles will have the guts to end it all, but it doesn't seem likely.
Even as a (still) EU citizen, I'm saddened by the news.<p>One has to remember she took upon her shoulders a lot (essentialy from WWII to everything we've all gone through in recent memory, plus a lot of responsibility we can only guess at), and yet, by all accounts[1], was an amazing human being.<p>[1] <a href="https://twitter.com/davidmackau/status/1567894552744271872" rel="nofollow">https://twitter.com/davidmackau/status/1567894552744271872</a>
I've always been an anti-monarchist/posh class in terms of the sense of entitlement and inherited perks while "in government", but I also feel as a <i>leader</i> QE2 was an unusually astute 'Monarch' (in quotes as she was a very different monarch, both in actual power and in tone from say a Sultan Bolkiah, the KSD, or Sultan bin Tarik) and that there is now a bit of an informal power vacuum in the UK, which will have network effects beyond their borders.
:(<p>It's mind-boggling to me to think about how long 70 years of reign actually is. How many world leaders she has seen come and go. How much the world changed since then.
FYI: When people are this age, they can die suddenly without much warning. I saw a headline a few hours ago about her family coming to visit, and I thought we'd have a few days.<p>Both of my grandmothers died at 91 without much warning. Cherish your time with your elders, and don't procrastinate a visit.
To everyone who feels sad by these news, my condolences. I respect your pain.<p>However, I have to confess that to whenever I hear that someone aged 90+ (80+, even) died, I don't really feel sad. Actually, I feel an urge to praise this person's achievements, as I'm aware we are all mortals, and death is unavoidable.<p>I prefer to rejoice in how much this person has witnessed throughout her life, how she had enough health to keep her wits until the end, how she could raise children, grandchildren, and even know her great-grandchildren.<p>What else can we humans aspire? Living forever is out of question. As soon as we are born, we are bound to die. So it's a pretty good life to be able to reach a good age, knowing that all our dear ones are set for life, raising families of their own, and living their lives the way that is best suited for them.<p>This is not just theory. I felt this when my grandfather died, aged 95, when my grandmother died aged 96, and when other people I knew died old enough for their deaths not really come as a surprise.
I adamantly reject the belief that some people are inherently better and deserve special treatment by society and before the law because of their ancestry.<p>This includes all nobility and royalty titles.<p>Historically and traditionally, nobles are/were the owners of the land. Shoddy job they've done at taking care of the environment. Overpowered by the industrialists, the new ruling hegemonic class (since the aftermath of WWII); who have been clever to stay out of the public view, unlike these historical noble and royal icons.
So one of the worlds best tourist attractions has died. Bummer. What is the point of the UK royal family again other than being a very expensive family on welfare? (UK tax payers paid them some 50M pounds for “support”.)<p>I’ll admit growing up I had some affinity for all the good in the world Pincess Diana was doing. And then she died. Which was sad. Her life ruined by the royal family and a failed marriage to guy who wasn’t faithful. And then many years later after visiting the UK and learning how much the public supported them financially etc and how little power they had and other than being the face of the money I asked myself: “what is the point of it all? To sell tabloids?”<p>Or if you come from one of the countries like me that was colonized under her watch you might have this reaction: <a href="https://twitter.com/laurajedeed/status/1567940027279196170?s=46&t=sVrFngUgYFgWhjzT6Gt_rQ" rel="nofollow">https://twitter.com/laurajedeed/status/1567940027279196170?s...</a>
As the most visible monarch of our times, I do wonder if the % of world population that will mourn her (either as colonizers or allies), will be greater than the % that will bade good riddance (as the colonized).
As someone whose people and grandparents suffered under British rule, really don’t care.<p>British imperialism is a bloodstain that I’m not gonna just forget about because the smile behind the menace has passed.
If I remember correctly, the plan is that UK TV channels cancel all entertainment programs for the next ten days, so I look forward to more people going outside for the end of summer.
Let's leave aside the atrocities committed by British Colonialism. In fairness, those crimes are far bigger than any one person. Instead, focus on the individual. This is a woman who brow beat her daughter in law to the such a degree, that her two choices viable options were suicide or deportation. All for the crime of being born with a trace amount of black blood in their veins. This was not a good human being.
I was in London during Covid, and the Queen's Speech to the nation during the pandemic was a pivitol and powerful moment.<p>"We should take comfort that while we may have more still to endure, better days will return: we will be with our friends again; we will be with our families again; we will meet again."
Lots of people, especially in former colonies, are justifiably glad to hear of her passing. For instance, the people in Kenya or India whose family survived the war crimes inflicted by the British under her reign.
It's good that she was able to go with her family by her side in a place she loved. There will be lots of mourning in the UK. I'm anti-monarchy but she's clearly left quite the legacy, and people that have met her have only great things to say about her manner and attitude.
Fun fact about English royalty<p>It’s technically easier for a muslim to become king/queen than for a Catholic.<p>Catholics are the only ones who are banned by law to become English royals.
Argh, and she was so close to overtaking Louis XIV as the longest reigning monarch in history! I was really hoping we'd beat the French.<p>But seriously, this is a momentous day for Britain and the world. She was a titan of public life, known to billions. The world will never be the same without her. I don't know what these means for Britain but I expect it will be quite destabilising.<p>May she rest in peace. Long live the king!
Queen of Canada for 44% of its existence[0]. My father remembers her coronation when he was a little kid- he's 75 now.<p>Meanwhile my daughter is 6 months old and will likely live to see a half a dozen monarchs.<p>[0]<a href="https://www.wolframalpha.com/input?i=%28June+2%2C+1953+to+now%29+%2F+%28July+1%2C+1867+to+now%29" rel="nofollow">https://www.wolframalpha.com/input?i=%28June+2%2C+1953+to+no...</a>
I've never really understood how we can still have monarchies but I do believe Elizabeth was probably one the better ones that have sat on those thrones.<p>A few years ago I looked into how much power she had and I was shocked. I was also shocked by how much that monarchy owns.
As an American watching with dismay over the past five years or so, I can see some virtue in having a non-partisan head of state (realizing that that does not mean the Royal Family is beyond ideology). Not sure how that would work in our republic, but I feel like it would help with national unity during divisive political times.
Could there be any code that breaks as a result of this? Can't think of anything, but wondering if there is something deep in some Civil Service script.
Lots of effusive praise in this thread. When I heard the news, I cheered, and felt giddy for a little bit, then the feeling subsided. I’m Canadian and have been forced to observe this bizarre institution my whole life. Seeing any bit of the monarchy and the British empire chip away feels good.
Where I'm at, we hear a lot more about the British monarchs than any other monarchs.<p>For instance, I just found out that Norway, for instance, also has a monarch. So does Sweden (?), and several other countries. But they — the Nordic monarchs — are unheard of in my country, and don't seem to have the same level of influence internationally.<p>Is that your experience as well?<p>(FWIW, my country was a former British colony but the British royalty is NOT my country's head at all).
Bloom County. Comic strip. Back in the 1980's did a whole series after William was born poking fun at the royals. I collected a whole shoebox of comics including most of that series. Long since put it in the trash, but I have never seen any of those strips again. Oh but google:
<a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=bloom+county+prince+william" rel="nofollow">https://www.google.com/search?q=bloom+county+prince+william</a>
Thoughts for the family, and all people affectively attached to the monarchy<p>That being said, given the geopolitical situation, I would not want to be responsible for the sitting arrangement of international dignitaires at the funeral.<p>(In a fantasy book, it would be the "perfect" occasion for every one to meet on "sacred ground", observe a truce, and get so drunk that unexpected settlements get found.<p>Sadly, we don't live in a fantasy book.)
Braindead comments which add nothing to the discussion are allowed if they are bland, pro-monarchy messages. Anything critical of the queen will need to be carefully supported or it will be flagged.
For those of us in the colonies, this is complicated. For better or worse, HRH QEII brought an element of stability to our government.<p>I believe that she could have handed off power to her son sooner, but I understand that she was probably torn on that. She's probably the best monarch we could have hoped for, and any future monarch won't be able to live up to her standard.
I'll need to thread lightly before I get banned by Dang for not loving the british queen!<p>If we observed monkeys and saw that one was showered with gifts and jewellery their whole lives because they were offspring of two other particular monkeys.. we would chuckle at that. Not for being the strongest, tallest, biggest, smartest or best at something. Just for existing.
My deepest condolences.<p>Years ago, I remember reading about how her family remained during WW2 while it was being bombed, against what was certainly “sensible” advice, and sharing in the hardship that everyone else was going through.<p>Even generations and culturally separated, this sort of shared hardship left a lasting impression on me; and she certainly represented the best of the UK.
"Her reign spanned 15 prime ministers starting with Winston Churchill, born in 1874, and including Ms Truss, born 101 years later in 1975."<p>Unbelievable the history she was a witness to.
Now begins the crucial and cringeworthy task of C-level executives (and those mimicking them) all over the world posting about this on LinkedIn and emailing all employees regardless of how many of those receiving the message have any connection to the UK or the Commonwealth.<p>I’m not saying this doesn’t matter, of course it does. It’s sad like any death is, and it’s meaningful to many people. But there are many kings and queens out there, and just because this one meant a lot to you doesn’t mean you should start roleplaying a member of the British nobility.<p>The only decent and respectful way to approach this for all parts involved in my mind is to acknowledge it, pay your condolences and move on. That’s the respectful and sane common ground we can all agree on.<p>As soon as you start making business decisions based on this for a global company (like global days of mourning, for example) you are, in my humble opinion, treading on thin ice.<p>This type of cultural hegemony kills the employer-employee relationship.<p>Be professional. Be reserved.
I don't believe in monarchies generally, and this sentiment remains throughout my life, although for slightly different reasons that keep improving with age. The more I read and know about history, the more I understand that the ideal of the Enlightened Monarch is a rare event, that can be destroyed in a single generation (we only have to look at Imperial Rome history for quite a few examples).<p>Still, I do really respect the person and work that Elizabeth II did thorough her entire life, I really believe she helped improve the world with her limited power.<p>Many purely democratic countries - mine included - would be so lucky to have her as the head of state.
When I saw the news of her death on Twitter I had a really uneasy feeling, I don’t know how to describe it… it’s like mortality slapped me across the face. From all indications she was a strong and noble queen. May she rest in peace.
With the transfer of the crown to King (Prince) Charles, is there an explainer article that provides a comprehensive information on who is deemed the next in line in multiple scenarios (i.e. assume next in line dies, the heir/heiress are incapable, challenging someone's ascension to the throne, etc).<p>This would make for a good read and understanding of how the royalty works.<p>On the topic, I think what Queen Elizabeth has done despite of the challenges within her sovereignty is being a living example on how to rule and govern, without negatively interfering with how the affairs and progress of the state needs to be carried out.
Makes me wonder what sorts of things will be triggered by this event. I bet security services are on high alert, and for some reason I'm a little worried about getting on my flight in a couple hours.
For some reason it seems extremely surreal to me that England now will have a king again. "The King of Great Britain" sounds like something out of a history movie, not present.
Interestingly the details of the planned operation London Bridge <a href="https://www.politico.eu/article/queen-elizabeth-death-plan-britain-operation-london-bridge/" rel="nofollow">https://www.politico.eu/article/queen-elizabeth-death-plan-b...</a>
were posted today on some British news site before her death, when all others confirmed her stable health. Some insiders obviously were in the know earlier today.
I wonder how many of the Commonwealth Realms are going to retain their monarchies. We might see Canada, Australia, New Zealand (and the rest of them) becoming republics.
I, too, am sad. I am deeply attracted to the model of the servant leader and the hero.<p>I'm particularly attached to leaders who make the best of a bad situation, in her case the retreat of the British Empire. I think courage in retreat is much more rare than courage in victory, and might bring more value to society.<p>My (our) relationship to Queen Elizabeth seems to stem less from the history or even events, and more from her extensive media depictions, mainly movies and series of late. Many of them focus on her as long-suffering: beset by crises she cannot really control, both emotional and political. Her stalwart response turns out to be the best available - at once non-intrusive, but pointing the way out. When she speaks, it is not to tell people what to do, or what is right and wrong, but to summon our better nature.<p>I understand this attachment may be seen as emotionally immature and even regressive. In her case, it seems benign. However, something like these sentiments underlies people's attachments to other leaders who seem disruptive to societies and companies.<p>Modeling heroes is in many ways deeper than even learning a trade, and yet we seem to leave it to chance. Can do better? Can we mourn Queen Elizabeth II without falling prey to false gods?
King Charles should consider stepping down in favour of William. We need someone fresh to take on the upcoming difficult times ahead for the disintegrating UK.
Queen Elizabeth served in the armed forces during World War 2 as a truck mechanic.<p>That's something that has always struck me as indicative of her character.
All my rich feelings about this as a millennial woman are from watching Netflix's The Crown.<p>I think that fact is absolutely incredible, and I'm just noticing how it works, the glimpses of feeling I get as I scroll news feed... images from real photos of the queen seamlessly woven in with flashes of scenes and emotions evoked from watching... Even emotional bits that I KNOW are not legit accurate/real.... My mind treats it all as one category anyway.<p>The show is an elegant testament to what fiction does, to portray a woman's epic coming of age and into the power and duty of something much bigger than her, across a century.<p>Our literature just doesn't have that grandness anymore, there are no literary novels by writers today about today that do this. Aesthetics there have changed in their scope somehow.<p>It's all on our film and tv technology to refresh these themes of responsibility, inner steeliness, honor, sacrifice, respectability etc... to make what's old new again.<p>I'm certain before the show I cared nothing, and after it, I care a lot.
Drat, she had less than two years to go to pass Louis XIV.<p>I have been a republican for most of my life and don't like to have her name in my passport. Nevertheless the first time we brought our young son to the UK we had a picture of him in front of Buckingham Palace (and I have the same picture of myself at that same location).
I'm not even brit and I`m sad to see her go. She inspired people in the best and the worst, and I wish other leaders took their job as serious as her.<p>In a fast changing world she was a constant, always doing her best. It's like a small Light Beacon in the world had been turned off.
RIP. I've always believed that there was a place for constitutional monarchy in the world. As the world hurtles forward, having a tether to the past grounds us, reminds us that we are not ahistorical, but part of a continually unfolding story.
Will Putin go to the Funeral? This person has entertained relations with the Soviet Union first and then Russia for 70years.<p>Allies against the Nazism . It’s peak tension between the West and Russia now but maybe a impromptu occasion to finally get to Peace
Wikipedia wasted no time updating King Charles' page.<p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles,_King_of_the_United_Kingdom" rel="nofollow">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles,_King_of_the_United_Ki...</a>
The Wikipedia article on the British Monarchy is (as expected) informative:<p>> The monarch and their immediate family undertake various official, ceremonial, diplomatic and representational duties. As the monarchy is constitutional, the monarch is limited to functions such as bestowing honours and appointing the prime minister, which are performed in a non-partisan manner. The monarch is also Head of the British Armed Forces. Though the ultimate executive authority over the government is still formally by and through the royal prerogative, these powers may only be used according to laws enacted in Parliament and, in practice, within the constraints of convention and precedent. The Government of the United Kingdom is known as His (Her) Majesty's Government.<p>I wasn't aware that the monarch appointed the prime minister, but here you have the last one the Queen made:<p>> Liz Truss has became Britain’s next prime minister after meeting with Queen Elizabeth II, who asked her to form a new government.<p><a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/9/6/uks-johnson-bows-out-as-pm-liz-truss-to-be-appointed-by-queen" rel="nofollow">https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/9/6/uks-johnson-bows-out...</a><p>The Wikipedia article later notes that prime minister appointment appears to fall into the ceremonial category:<p>> The sovereign has the power to appoint the prime minister. In accordance with unwritten constitutional conventions, the monarch appoints the individual who commands the support of the House of Commons, usually the leader of the party or coalition that has a majority in that House. The prime minister takes office by attending the monarch in a private audience, and after "kissing hands" that appointment is immediately effective without any other formality or instrument.[15] The sovereign also has the power to dismiss the prime minister, but the last time this power was exercised was in 1834, when William IV dismissed Lord Melbourne; since then, prime ministers have only left office upon their resignation, which they are expected to offer to the monarch upon losing their majority in the House of Commons.
I honestly don't think anyone will care about the monarchy much after this. Charles just has zero charisma and William is pretty wooden as well. The queen had a vibe and presence that won't be repeated.
As an Irishman, while our two countries might not have always gotten along well, she always came across as a good person who took her role seriously and executed as well as anyone could. RIP.
It feels strange when someone, who has been here since seemingly forever, dies.<p>As it was recently discussed here [0], <i>You have a sad feeling for a moment, then it passes.</i> [1]<p>[0]: <a href="https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32252198" rel="nofollow">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32252198</a><p>[1]: <a href="https://everything2.com/title/You+have+a+sad+feeling+for+a+moment%252C+then+it+passes" rel="nofollow">https://everything2.com/title/You+have+a+sad+feeling+for+a+m...</a>
I'm echoing what others have said but as a Commonwealth citizen turned British citizen with a grandmother who was the same age but died last year, I can't help but feel an extended member of my family has passed.<p>I am not a monarchist by any means, but I felt an attachment and affection for the Queen that made me value the institution. I know she led a privileged life but ceaseless service and consistency across literal generations is, to my view, no easy ride.<p>Rest in peace
England colonized us and left the place in a mess - not hatred but ambivalent compared to my wife who prattled to the kids about it (I wanted to sleep).<p>She did her best in a system that does it best to rob you of being an individual - her behind the scenes limited intervention to get the Commonwealth and misguided scumbag Thatcher to at least condemn the Apartheid regime.<p>I hope Charles does some of his more zany things like climate change and sustainability.
With Charles being considerably less popular than Elizabeth, maybe the British will finally remove some royal privileges like <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/feb/08/queen-power-british-law-queens-consent" rel="nofollow">https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/feb/08/queen-...</a>
could this influence some of the last remaining royalties around the world? I don't think charles or his son will ever be well respected. Elizabeth was faithful to her role, very conservative, oversaw the end of the british empire, probably the last recognized monarch worldwide. Without her, the royalties of saudi arabia are somewhat without peers , which may delegitimize them in the eyes of their citizens.
The last monarch of her kind; I don’t think the British monarchy institution will ever be the same nor future monarchs looked at with the same respect.
This is not a rant nor a flamebait. I am a commonwealth citizen and a staunch republican.<p>I am against monarchies by principle.<p>Unfortunately the king/queen of England is also the Supreme Governor of the Church of England which goes against my principles as well since I am an atheist.<p>I do not wish ill will on the royal family, but as a humanist who believes that every man, woman and child born on this planet is equal in rights, I cannot accept nor promote a system of governance that deems certain people to be above others by simply being born in the right family.<p>I am sorry for the loss caused by her death and I feel sad for her loved ones but that loss should not stop people form pushing for the creation of genuine republics in the countries within the commonwealth.
As a long time lurker and infrequent poster, I am positively revolted by moderation's handling of this topic. Under the guise of "disallowing flamebait" HN's moderation team has systematically driven out anyone expressing negative opinions of an individual. At the start of this topic, there was a diversity of viewpoints[0] but now there is only trite, non-intellectually gratifying comments praising the queen or expressing their despair at her death (which is a weird sentiment for someone most have never met).<p>As a second-generation immigrant from an Asian country, I have to admit that I was ecstatic at hearing the news. For someone who's family was poor to the point of drinking rotting bone stew and foraging grass partly due to the queen refusing to decolonize until Britian lacked the military might to do so, the only reaction anyone in my close circle could have is positive. This is juxtaposed with the prevailing sentiment here where it's socially unacceptable to celebrate her death. I wonder if all the moralist harping about how one should never celebrate a person's death felt about Stalin, or how they would react to the death of Carmen Ortiz or Vladimir Putin.<p>I really enjoy my time lurking here in this small corner of the internet and I hope that the moderators here step it up and either 1. ban politically divisive topics or 2. moderate away both trite positive and negative comments.<p>[0]<a href="https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32769317" rel="nofollow">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32769317</a>
There’s a lot of debate in this thread about the rights and wrongs of monarchy, the extent to which the Queen chose to serve, and so on. There isn’t much context about Britain as it was when she became Queen. Since I used to be a historian, I figured I’d throw some in.<p>Princess Elizabeth wasn’t originally expected to become Queen. Her father was only the second son of King George V and was not expected to become King either. But, in a move that was deeply shocking at the time, the older son, King Edward VIII, abdicated in 1936 so that he could marry a divorcee.<p>The abdication crisis was complicated and further complicated by the Commonwealth. The members of the Commonwealth, all of whom had Edward VIII as their king, had to agree to the abdication. The government of the Irish Free State, as it was then known, used the opportunity to dramatically reduce the role of the King.<p>Elizabeth’s father became George VI and she became the heir presumptive. At this point (1936) it still wasn’t clear that she would become Queen. She was just 10 years old and if her parents had a son, he would leapfrog his older sisters and become the heir.<p>Edward VIII had become Duke of Windsor after the abdication and he remained something of a thorn in the sides of the royal family and British government. There were fights about money and titles and whether the Duke would be allowed to return to the UK. There were bad feelings all round. In 1937 the Duke visited Nazi Germany, which infuriated the British government. During World War II he was considered to be pro-Nazi and was for a while under surveillance by the Americans.<p>Things had in some ways calmed down by 1952, when George VI died. But the UK was still intensely feeling the effects of World War II. There were several financial crises, the country’s debt was enormous and rationing didn’t end until 1954.<p>The British Empire had also continued to fall apart. Today many people consider that a good thing, with countries gaining independence and people gaining self-determination. But from a monarch’s perspective, losing an empire is a pretty terrible failure.<p>I’ve missed out all sorts of things because this was already so long. But that, roughly speaking, was the situation when Princess Elizabeth became Queen Elizabeth II in 1952.
In movies as well as in real life kings and queens are always played by the others. People like a big show - now they have a reason for a big show - but at the end of the day she was just an old woman living much too wealthy off taxes representing an anachronistic system of government.
First of all, let’s give a round of applause to Charles. Few thought he would be king. Many assumed Liz was holding on just to spite him. You did it, Chucky!<p>Second, now is a good time to figure out if Reptoids can hold their shape when dead. I’ve never seen a definitive answer in the literature.
With the Pandemic, and the death of the Queen, and several other events, we can now say that the beginning of the 2020s marks the true cultural beginning of the 21st Century. These times will look increasingly different from whatever came before.
As Queen, she met 14 US Presidents (15 total) and 16 Prime Ministers (17 total). Whatever our feelings toward the anachronism of hereditary monarchies, she's been a participant in (and witness to) a significant amount of modern history.
The Queen ruled since my dad was born, a fixture of my life if not an influential one here in the colonies. Her dying feels so strange. Like if the moon just went away one day.
Her watch has ended.<p>Not being a citizen of the commonwealth, I have no political beef in this, I can only admire her for holding her office for a longer time than most here (including me) have lived. Being the formal head of once a colonial empire turning into a commonwealth with these days most of the member nations rightfully going their own way, she was an important participant in the history of hundreds of millions of people.<p>Her role was one of constance over a long time in which the world changed a lot. She was a truck driver in WW2 and became queen not too long after that considering she was queen till today. Now an era ends and a new one begins.
As someone who has no idea what this monarchy means or what powers it has in the UK government, I was wondering if there was a good resource to learn more?
As tests of a "new" government go, the implementation of Operation "London Bridge" (Protocol related to the period of mourning, state funeral and coronation) is certainly going to be an interesting one to watch unfold.<p>With the track record of successive Tory governments however... Interesting for perhaps the wrong reasons.<p>Unlikely to unite the nation either.
And Josip Manolić still lives. [0]<p>(For context, this politician's ability to keep outliving his peers is a local running joke.)<p>[0] <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josip_Manoli%C4%87" rel="nofollow">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josip_Manoli%C4%87</a>
Rip. May she rest in peace. And the timing was impeccably terrible... Charles doesn't have the skills, charisma, connections or political capital to help his nation in the upcoming hard times.
Stunning to see the fake news and misinformation on social media.<p><a href="https://twitter.com/NaomiOhReally/status/1568157931538989056" rel="nofollow">https://twitter.com/NaomiOhReally/status/1568157931538989056</a>
All: please don't post flamebait, including ranting against monarchy or railing against "the nobility" like it's 1770. Such reflexive comments are not on topic here. We want <i>curious</i> conversation. Please review <a href="https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html" rel="nofollow">https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html</a>.<p>This story is on topic because it's a major historical event and history has always been on topic here. If it doesn't produce an intellectually curious response in you, you're welcome to find something else that does—there are plenty of other things to read—but in that case please refrain from posting.<p>Positive-empty comments aren't substantive either, but as pg pointed out way back when HN was getting started (<a href="https://news.ycombinator.com/newswelcome.html" rel="nofollow">https://news.ycombinator.com/newswelcome.html</a>), those are benign. The comments we need to avoid are the malignant ones.<p>Edit: by positive-empty I just meant comments like these:<p><a href="https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32770030" rel="nofollow">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32770030</a><p><a href="https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32769786" rel="nofollow">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32769786</a><p><a href="https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32769037" rel="nofollow">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32769037</a><p><a href="https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32769019" rel="nofollow">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32769019</a><p>I'm not telling you guys to be royalists! I'm just asking you not to post crap comments, which this thread was filled with when I first saw it. We don't care what you're for or against, we just care about people using HN as intended.<p>Edit 2: I think the problem is that this comment has outlived its usefulness at the top of the thread because the bottom of the barrel comments have mostly been moderated away, whether by user flags or by us. I'm going to unpin this and mark it offtopic now. Please don't post any more bottom-of-barrel comments!—and if you see some, please flag them.
Not to mention that she was the last monarch to have any memory of WWII and served as an ambulance mechanic. Now that generation that remembered the horrors of fascism has mostly passed and we find ourselves in a period that seems to have many echos of the 1930s with a new rise of authoritarianism and fascism around the world.
Time to end on a high? Shall we just abandon this whole monarchy thing and time to flip over to a republic and leave the much revered queen as the last ever monarch of the UK?<p>Seems like Scotland is going to go independent, and if Scotland do Wales will only be a matter of time so may as well just can it now?
I realise she has just died and it's unbecoming to do anything but laud the person, but this is just moral obsequiousness.<p>She claims fealty by right of blood, reigned as the crown of an extraordinarily cruel empire, and frequently interceded in the democratic government of Britain to protect her private interests.
RIP. As a Canadian I've always liked that we technically had <i>the</i> Queen as our head of state. I wonder how attitudes will change now that her 70 year reign.
Not that this is quite the right time, but is there any list of the Queen's achievements that isn't simply "she lived for very long" and "she witnessed some important events"? I fail to see why this is impressive.
One person should not receive so much attention. People die. We all die. Yes, I understand she was a fake Queen of a country, but so what?<p>Why do we feel we need to worship these people, be it royalty or celebrities? They are just people, like you and me who happen to be famous.<p>People are dying in Gaza too, maybe spare a tear for them.
THE QUEEN IS DEAD, LONG LIVE THE KING... HIS MAGESTY KING Charles Philip Arthur George!! (formerly Prince of Wales) THIS IS THE WAY.. to announce a Monarch's death guys!!!
Good riddance. The world is rid of a horrible person who has done horrible things, and who has never once tried to do the right thing in the face of adversity.<p>She could have done so much more, spoken out against so many atrocities, in her own family and Britain's role in the world in general. She could have attempted to use the last vestiges of monarchical power - likely ending the monarchy in the process - and stopped Brexit, or this turmoil that has ensued because of it.<p>But she chose not to do any of this. Because the "prestige" of this disgusting tradition was worth more to her than the lives of any of the citizens she "rules" (symbolically) over.<p>It would have been hard to have had a worse monarch than her.
Sad on a human level, but she spent her years as the figurehead of an inherently fascist, racist institution — royalty.<p>"Whoever had created humanity had left in a major design flaw. It was its tendency to bend at the knees.”
Some view the monarchy as anachronistic. Of course there's merit to that argument but the monarchy as an institution really doesn't cost that much and has worked in the British political system as really a check on abuse of government power. The Queen's consent in forming government is routine but it can be withheld.<p>Australia had an example of this where the Governor General (the Queen's representative in the Australian government) sacked the government and formed a caretaker governmen tin the 1970s.<p>The American system of relying on centuries of tenuous interpretation of a fairly short document just isn't as much of an improvement as you think.<p>The Australian constitution allows for the Governor General to have "reserve powers" without specifying what they are.<p>Ultimately all these systems rely on trust.<p>It's wild to think the Queen began her reign with having weekly chats with Winston Churchill all the way up to appointing Liz Truss just this week. Her father fought in World War I. She lived through World War II. It's wild to think about.<p>It's also wild to consider the Queen never had an exepctation of ruling. An abdication caused that to happen. The happiest and freest time of her life may well have been living on Malta prior to that, living a fairly normal life with her husband and young family.<p>Institutions exist to protect the people, not the institutions themselves. Never forget that.
While I admire the Elizabeth's dedication to preserving her own family's inheritance, I fundamentally do not believe anyone can inherit a country. The monarchy should die along with the monarch.
I'd consider her equal in relevance to Kim Kardashian.<p>For some quality entertainment, read through the comments pretending they're talking about Kim Kardashian.<p>"I've never considered myself a ['celebrity worshipper'] but... I just burst into tears unexpectedly [upon hearing of Kim's death]."
Not a Brit, but my respect for the queen has always been tremendous, representing the British monarchy and being a public figure for all my life and seemingly forever, such that her death seems unreal, reminding us that she was a human being and nice old lady after all. I was even hesitant to turn on the news. RIP.
This is the most disappointing thread I’ve seen on HN in a long time. A large number of accounts have been banned and rightly so. There are lots of good and interesting comments, but also lots of comments dancing on her grave. This is one of the lowest, meanest and fundamentally uninteresting things one can engage in.
I feel sad for the british empire, she was like the figure that represented the whole Great Britain. I think it’s the start of a Long way down.<p>Brexit is a disaster, Prince Charles is not really a charming person, Scotland wants to leave Great Britain and join the EU, Northern Ireland is split as ever.<p>God save the king.
The word "Majesty" holds meaning that few people today contemplate. Her life was lived in complete service to her people, and was inextricably linked to the nation she ruled. That's a relic of a bygone era, and I think we lost something on the way.
I believe we have witnessed the passing of a truly great human being, born into power within a system that is completely unjust. She could have disrupted her society, but instead she did her best to maintain the culture while helping as many as she could and harming as few as possible.<p>I am an American, and I am grateful to have been among her contemporaries in a way that I cannot say that about any other British monarch.
People are like a flock of sheep looking for a shepherd. This is the business model of all royalty/democracies around the world.<p>Humanity needs an alpha male/female to lead the flock because it would have a better chance of survival than if everyone went their separate ways.<p>Leadership and other corporate BS teaches nothing more than this truth: Ignore your own doubts, have a straight face and lead the herd where you want.<p>The queen and her family cost less than 2$/year/brit, less than a stupid game on the app store.
The Queen is dead.<p>I've dreaded writing these words for quite some time now, because to me, she's become the prototype of someone who hasn't been quite alive for some time now, but still embodied the spirit of a nation - a nation arguably in perceived decline, but still somehow held together by the almost poetic and optimistic belief that as long as the Queen is alive, the nation will prosper or, at the very least, persevere.<p>At the same time, I feel relief that even the Queen may die, and life still goes on. May she rest in peace.<p>The Queen is dead.
I WILL NOT MOURN THE QUEEN.<p>I have never liked the queen or the British monarchy. To me they are the biggest symbol of oppression in history and set my people and continent several centuries back while they enriched themselves. Never an apology, never any reparations.<p>So while i will not jump around and rejoice, I would be lying if I said I did not feel some happiness and relief at the news. And i think always will as this monarchy chips away.<p>I am not alone in these sentiments, but our sentiments as Africans have never really mattered in the grand scheme of things.<p>This press release from one of South Africa's bigger political parties expresses this succinctly. They did not mince their words and i know there are plenty of Africans who feel the same.<p>LINK:
<a href="https://www.politicsweb.co.za/documents/we-do-not-mourn-the-death-of-queen-elizabeth--eff" rel="nofollow">https://www.politicsweb.co.za/documents/we-do-not-mourn-the-...</a>