It was the end of an era on Thursday 08 September 2022. The curtain fell for the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the Head of State of the United Kingdom and 14 other Commonwealth realms, Queen Elizabeth II. The world will miss her cerebral reign as the British Monarch for seven decades. She was a phenomenon.
The news media, both electronic and print, have been agog with minute by minute updates of the events lined up for the final funeral rites of passage of the late monarch, expectedly so. The death of the British Monarch is one of the biggest news of this century.
If there is anything I pay keen attention to in major world events, it is the leadership lessons. As the lined-up events unfold towards the final resting of The Queen, there is a lot to learn from the sustenance of the culture and history of the British people. Personally, I’m thrilled.
The order of protocols is amazing. Of course, on account of old age and concerns over her health in recent times, the death of The Queen is not unexpected but it is obvious that none of the institutions was caught unawares. Everyone is alive to his responsibilities and the world watches in admiration.
The transition of power is exemplary. To think that both the Head of Government and the Head of State of the United Kingdom changed hands seamlessly in barely 72 hours is quite amazing. That the Queen, even in spite of her health concerns, managed to perform her last official duty to usher in the new government barely 48 hours to her passage is symbolic.
I cannot stop being amazed how the United Kingdom is able to maintain her culture and history even with an unwritten constitution. The United Kingdom is ruled by conventions but there is no overlap of responsibilities. No matter what anybody says, there are positive lessons to learn from the United Kingdom and her people.
I imagine how fulfilled Prime Minister Liz Truss would feel of herself to be the sitting Head of Government as at the time of passage of the late Queen and the proclamation of the new King. Some people are destined to walk into history, PM Liz Truss is one of such people.
Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson got the job done, leading the UK out of the EU but by the time he was done, his job was gone. Just in a difference of 48 hours, he missed a major historical event to usher in the new British Monarch. Call it fate, or is it destiny?
Like a plug-in mechanism, the heir apparent ascended the throne almost immediately as he was proclaimed King Charles III of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Head of State of the United Kingdom and 14 other Commonwealth realms. This automatic transmission of power to the former Prince of Wales as the new King is phenomenal.
Without a doubt, the British people love their monarch. Not minding pockets of discontent from some British citizens of alleged double standard from the Buckingham Palace, a significant number of the British populace love and defer to their monarch unconditionally.
There is no perfect system anywhere in the world. The most probable reason the British people express unconditional love to the throne and pledge allegiance to the sovereignty of the government is because the greater majority have access to good life. What is more? Call it live and let live.
There have been different reactions from fellow Africans to the news of death and celebration of life of the late British Monarch. To some, the injustice done to Africans by the British colony is not to be forgotten and Queen Elizabeth II, being the symbol of the British Empire, is culpable.
For me, history belongs to the past. Reparation can assuage frayed nerves but cannot change what has been. There is so much hatred in a world in desperate search of love than to allow any dark history to hold us back from facing forward and living life in its fullest form. I begrudge no one for a history that cannot be rewritten. I choose to be liberated by the freedom that is freely given by my spiritual belief and personal convictions.
The next few days will witness historic activities very rich in content as the United Kingdom hosts the biggest burial in modern history. Queen Elizabeth II had an eventful reign, hers was the longest of any British Monarch. She was not only cerebral, she was peace loving. She will not be forgotten in a hurry.
As the cerebral Queen proceeds on her final journey, I join others to bid her a safe passage. This is much as I wish the new monarch, King Charles III, an eventful reign even more than her mother. My heart goes out to the entire British royalty as they mourn the passage of their revered and departed matriarch.
Now that the song has changed, I join the people of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to say – God save the King.
Fare thee well, Queen Elizabeth II (1926 to 2022).
©️Akin Oluwadare Jnr
12 September 2022
