Farewell to Queen Elizabeth II

The death of Queen Elizabeth II of England at the age of 96 has moved the world, locals and strangers, in East and West, North and South, because her figure transcended differences, perhaps because of the seven decades that she had to reign , perhaps because he traveled practically all over the world bringing British friendship to the nations, perhaps because of the way in which he carried out his high responsibility, the one that he had to assume at the age of 25, when none of that was in his plans.

Even the BBC’s own journalists yesterday came out in mourning on the television screen to announce the departure of their queen. Just moments later, the entire world learned of it and leaders of all nations made public their expressions of regret, condolence and appreciation, such as that of the Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau, who declared his country in mourning and said that Queen Elizabeth He was one of her favorite people in the world. ‘She was attentive, wise, curious, practical, funny and much more,’ the prime minister of a country that was constitutionally ruled directly by Queen Elizabeth II, like Australia and New Zealand, declared excitedly.

The queen has died in Balmoral, in peace and surrounded by her family, said a brief and sober statement from the royals on Thursday afternoon at her summer residence, the castle in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, where Elizabeth’s children and grandchildren arrived from emergency after the call of the doctors, who warned that the state of health of the monarch was very delicate.

In London, not even the rain stopped thousands of people who wanted to reach the gates of Buckingham Palace, to leave a bouquet of flowers or simply bring their sorrow and shock there.

With her went a great symbol of royalty, but mainly a figure who knew how to deal with the dramatic changes of a turbulent world that in these 70 years was radically transformed, who knew how to have the necessary temperance and poise to lead the United Kingdom to the privileged place it has today on the planet, as one of its most consolidated democracies.

She received 16 prime ministers of the United Kingdom, met 14 presidents of the United States, seven popes and hundreds of leaders from around the world.

How she came to the throne is a global legend: The young Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor was the eldest daughter of Albert, Duke of York, and Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon. Her father was the second son of King George and she was therefore not in the line of succession to become queen. Her natural heir to the throne was her uncle David, who came to the throne in 1936 on the death of King George V.

But David, who chose the name of King Edward VIII, married a divorced woman, the American Wallis Simpson, which in those years was unacceptable to the monarchy for religious and political reasons.

That same year, Edward VIII had to abdicate in favor of his brother Albert, Elizabeth’s father, who ruled from 1936 to 1952. When her father died, Elizabeth was in the Kenyan jungle. Until then, the news of her reached him and from that moment she became the queen who would not leave the throne until this historic September 8, 2022.

They say that the famous Winston Churchill said of her, even before he became Prime Minister, that as a little Elizabeth she had ‘an amazing air of authority and reflection for such a little girl. And she was not wrong. Perhaps that is also why the world fell silent yesterday over the departure of the queen of Great Britain, Ireland and the British Dominions beyond the seas, defender of the faith.