to your grandchildren? his outspokenness drew criticism that he was undermining the monarchy s constitutional duty to political neutrality. the queen reigned for so long that she came to embody a certain conception of britain itself. we looked at her and saw a set of values that lay at the heart of what it meant to be british. and yet we knew almost nothing about her own views on the great issues of the day. we know a lot about where the new king stands. for 50 years he was an activist prince of wales. as monarch, he ll have to step away from that. people have expressed worries about whether this involvement will continue in the same way. no, it won t! i m not that stupid! i do realise that it is a separate exercise being sovereign. but there is a counterargument that it s his engagement with the most pressing issues of the day that will place his reign at the heart of national life, renewing and reinvigorating the monarchy. first thing he was probably best known for was th
the united kingdom of great britain the united kingdom of great britain and northern ireland? i solemnly promise so to do. she was anointed, blessed and consecrated. choir sings zadok the priest by handel she took possession of a 1,200 year old throne. she knew that it was a role from which only death could release her and yet, when she was born, no one had thought that it would be her destiny. elizabeth alexandra mary windsor was born on 21 april, 1926. she was the first child of the then king s second son, the duke of york. she cried at her christening perhaps the only time in her life that she made a public scene. she was a happy child with occasionally a child of make sense of mystery. mischief. this was the young princess elizabeth at the age of four and three quarters, visiting a photographic studio in london. her life then was comparatively carefree. a politician called winston churchill noted she had an air of authority that was astonishing in an infant. fate pro
an amazing woman. just a very sombre mood in windsor, really. what did she represent to people of your generation? a guiding light, a moral code, how to conduct yourself, - how to act, what is - right and what s wrong. here on the streets of royal windsor, the sense of a an epoch having passed is palpable. there is the sense of mourning, shared with the entire nation. but something else. for these people have lost a neighbour, a queen who was part of their daily lives. amir bukhari was getting calls from relatives in pakistan, who had heard the news. he runs a cafe besides windsor castle. no words to express my emotions. it is really sad. what did she mean to you? not only me but everyone in the world. everybody feels very sad, very down. for us, she was a neighbour. and we feel more. no matter how long anticipated, the end has crystallised loss. the passing of a monarch, who symbolised to people the best of their nation, of themselves. fergal keane, bbc news, windsor. you ve
She reigned for almost three quarters of a century as the world changed around her. She was a symbol of unity in good times and bad. Successful because she knew her unique place and she understood it. The act of being there, of being. You know, a. A continuing. Reference point of stability and endless duties is something that i think is. Is of the greatest importance. It was really about service and her definition of service, and that was a lifetime. Literally 24 7, 365 days of the year. It was never something you could turn off and turn on. It was there all the time. It is so strange to almost everyone in this countryl that she is no longer queen. It will take a long while to come to terms with that. I declare before you all, that my whole life, whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service and to the service of our great imperialfamily to which we all belong. As Queen Elizabeth ii, she reigned over more than 135 Million People and, as head of the commonwealth, a third
it was a profound personal commitment which defined her whole life. she made sacrifices for duty. her dedication and devotion as sovereign never wavered, through times of change and progress, through times ofjoy and celebration and through times of sadness and loss. in her life of service, we saw that abiding love of tradition, together with that fearless embrace of progress which makes us great as nations. the affection, admiration and respect she inspired became the hallmark of her reign. and as every member of my family can testify, she combined these qualities with warmth, humour and an unerring ability always to see the best in people. i pay tribute to my mother s memory, and i honour her life of service. i know that her death brings great sadness to so many of you, and i share that sense of loss beyond measure with you all. when the queen came to the throne, britain and the world were still coping with the privations and aftermath of the second world war and still livin