So glad to see a place for tributes to Her Majesty here, thank you, @coracle — I was surprised no-one started a thread earlier, but was a bit too shy to do it myself!!

Like everyone else under the age of 70, I have only ever known Queen Elizabeth II as the head of state of the UK and of my first homeland, Australia, along with New Zealand, Canada and a number of other countries. She's just always been there, and it's sad and strange to realise she's no longer with us. I would say she was the greatest ambassador Britain has ever had — a magnificent example of a life absolutely devoted to selfless service for over 7 decades (I say "over" because, of course, she also served as an Army mechanic in WW2, well before she became Queen!). Hers was a role she didn't get to choose, and wasn't originally expected to have, but she took it on without flinching and became such an influence for good in the world. I was deeply moved to hear the heartfelt tribute paid to her yesterday by her eldest son, now King Charles III, in his first address to the public. I'm confident he will carry on her legacy very well as we move into the future.

The Queen's Christian faith was central to her entire life and to everything she did, right down to the way she valued every individual she came in contact with — as so many commentators have remarked, no matter how many people she spoke to or how briefly, she made each one feel special. As I've mentioned to a few friends lately, there was a beautiful book on the Queen's deep faith — appropriately called The Servant Queen and the King she serves — produced by an ecumenical council in honour of her 90th birthday in 2016, which I'd highly recommend to anyone here who is interested.

I can say I saw the Queen once myself, though only momentarily, in July 2012 — being driven up the Royal Mile in Edinburgh with other members of the Royal Family for a ceremony there. She was waving to the crowds along the road from the back seat of the car with an absolutely radiant smile on her face. I had just stumbled off the overnight bus from London an hour or two earlier, on my first day of a shoestring-budget holiday in Scotland, and I was absolutely thrilled!!

Thank you, Your Majesty, and may light perpetual shine upon you.

There were whisperings and goings to and fro. Then Jill noticed that all who wore hats, bonnets, helmets, or hoods were taking them off—Eustace included. Then she heard a rustling and flapping noise up above the castle; when she looked she saw that the great banner with the golden Lion on it was being brought down to half-mast. And after that, slowly, mercilessly, with wailing strings and disconsolate blowing of horns, the music began again: this time, a tune to break your heart.

Our dear queen is gone; another saint safely home. And an era is over.  No matter how well King Charles does, it cannot be quite the same.

I don't really remember it--I was only four or so--but we went out to see the Queen's motorcade pass through our town. We didn't see her ourselves, but I think it must have left an impression, even then.  As time went on, and I heard more of her life and service to her people, my love and admiration grew.  Even better, when one day I realized that she was not merely the titular head of the English church, but a believer in the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords.

@Courtenay: So glad to see a place for tributes to Her Majesty here, thank you,@coracle— I was surprised no-one started a thread earlier, but was a bit too shy to do it myself!!

Yes, I am glad to have a place for tributes to Her Majesty, and thank you, @coracle, from myself as well. This morning at church we were able to sign a condolence book, which I was glad to do. 

The first time I learned of Queen Elizabeth was when she was Crowned Queen on 2nd June, 1953, when in the evening of that day we heard the wireless broadcast of the Coronation, transmitted to Australia, which did not have television until 1956. I was five, and the soothing voices of the clergy sent me to sleep. In later times, I've always had a certain sympathy for Prince Charles, 10 months younger than myself, dressed really nicely, sitting up in the gallery between his aunt & grandmother, looking as if he was finding the service just as hard to follow at that age as I did. The following year, 1954, the boarding school which I attended, arranged for us to go to Bulli Pass, on a cold morning to see the Queen go by, lining the Princes Highway with many other schoolchildren. The Queen has visited Australia 16 times in all, the first reigning British Sovereign of all time to do so. The last time was in November, 2011, when she & Prince Philip attended the Perth CHOGM, her duties as Head of the Commonwealth, when Queen Elizabeth said herself, that the long-distance trek to Perth & back, within days, almost killed both of them. 

For the rest of my life the beautiful woman, portrayed in a long yellow formal gown, in the school's Assembly Hall, has been an admirable constant in my life. So, even though I realised she had been slowing down, with "mobility issues" since at least last October, I was startled last Friday morning, to hear the 2GB presenter discussing with a well-known British reporter, what sounded like reminiscences of Queen Elizabeth. But five minutes later, when the 6.00 AM news came on, we heard the news. Queen Elizabeth died at 3.30 am, Australian Eastern Standard Time, Friday, 9th September, whilst we slept. 

At her coronation, Queen Elizabeth promised to serve UK, and also those countries of whom she was Queen, for all of her life, whether it was long or short. And she has faithfully & unflinchingly done exactly that, her last public duty, last Tuesday, being to swear in the new British Prime Minister, Liz Truss, as well as accept the resignation of Boris Johnson at Balmoral. Thank God for Queen Elizabeth's lifetime of service.

A great loss for family and country. Queen Elizabeth II's 70 year reign marked her as the longest reigning monarch in Great Britain's history, surpassing Queen Victoria.

She was greatly admired for putting God, her family, and her country before herself. No one in England could do anything without her approval. Her legacy will continue to live on.

Now King Charles III has a lot of responsibility to run his country. He's going to need Solomon's wisdom for the task he has ahead of him.

Posted by: @jasmine_tarkheena

No one in England could do anything without her approval.

I'm not quite sure where this bizarre notion comes from, but it should be made clear that it is absolutely untrue and never has been true.

The United Kingdom (of which England is only one component part) is a fully functioning democracy and has been for a very long time. Even before the current parliamentary system was fully developed, there was never a time in history when "no-one could do anything without [the monarch's] approval" (which wouldn't be possible in any society larger than a tribal family). And for the past few hundred years, the monarch has had only a symbolic and ceremonial role, not a governing one — he or she represents the country and plays an important part in diplomacy, but has absolutely no power to make laws or to intervene in the political system in any way. The roles of head of state (the king or queen) and head of government (the prime minister) are completely separate in the UK.

As the initial post says, this thread is not for political / ideological discussion and I definitely don't intend to drag it into that — just giving some simple factual explanations where needed.

@courtenay 

I think the monarchy in the UK is respected more than our U.S. presidents are, although the kings and queens certainly have less controlling power than they did centuries ago. The Queen was a gracious and gentle woman, and I think the world should follow her example.  I feel sometimes that our American presidents are criticized too much, but I guess that is the price you pay when you live in a democracy.  We have too many extremists living in our country, and sometimes people will want to divide us even more. Without getting into politics I think that is the truth.

Posted by: @narnian78

although the kings and queens certainly have less controlling power than they did centuries ago.

Make that NO controlling power — I can't stress that enough. I've lived all my life in two countries that are constitutional monarchies (which incidentally share the same monarch) and I can assure you, the king or queen has absolutely no power over the government, let alone over our individual lives!! 

@courtenay 

I think you can be glad that you have a constitution like our country does.  Having a king or queen might not make any difference in how much it is followed. I don’t know know if you like or dislike having royalty, but there probably will always be a king or queen as a symbol since it is constitutional monarchy and written in the document.  It probably is something good for the country, although some might say having a symbol isn’t entirely necessary. But having a morally good person as a symbol might be a good influence.

In 1215, King John signed a document called the Magna Carta, but that's besides the point.

Anyhow, to avoid political and theological dispute as @coracle has requested on this thread, as I have mentioned, I think what Queen Elizabeth II was greatly admired for that she put God, her family and her country before herself.

Thanks for respecting the purpose of this thread. 

Yesterday I dug out some childhood souvenirs of the Royal Visit here when I was 6. One is a metal badge with a photo of the Queen and her husband, and the other is a letter from the Queen to the schoolchildren of New Zealand and printed out for us all to have a copy!  She was very positive about our country and our future roles in it.  

Posted by: @coracle

Thanks for respecting the purpose of this thread. 

Yesterday I dug out some childhood souvenirs of the Royal Visit here when I was 6. One is a metal badge with a photo of the Queen and her husband, and the other is a letter from the Queen to the schoolchildren of New Zealand and printed out for us all to have a copy!  She was very positive about our country and our future roles in it.  

What a great example to follow. I also forgot to mention that she was also admired for her faithfulness to her husband until his death in 2021.

This morning, I got to watch the Service of Thanksgiving held in Scotland that was televised. There was a lot of readings and a choir singing. And I'm sure you all know that the funeral service is going to be held on September 19th, and it will be televised.

My Mom is our resident Anglophile, so growing up I was well acquainted with the Queen, her family and customs. We watched her open Parliament and talk to children, saw her walk her corgis, etc. And like so many can attest, there was an abiding sense that she would always be there. She seemed almost as much a fixture of Britain as Westminster Abbey; I'm sure many UK people have felt this quite strongly.

And part of this impression of solidarity was formed by Queen Elizabeth's devotion to duty. Come rain or shine, she always seemed to be there to back the British people up and cheer them on, all while maintaining a dignity worthy of Queen Victoria. 

For her jubilee this year they released special edition tins of tea. I bought one marked with her portrait and the dates of her reign, little knowing that this jubilee would be her last. The tin has a become a bit more valuable since I bought it, and every cup of tea I drink from it is a bit more special. 

God Save the King!

The Queen famously opened the London Olympics in 2012 with a sketch featuring Daniel Craig as James Bond (007 -On her Majesty's Secret Service) fetching her from her office, accompanied by her retinue of corgis & dorgis to be delivered from Buckingham Palace to the Olympic arena, to pronounce the games open. Ten years later, as part of her Platinum Jubilee, last June, she did another one, to the delight of attendees, this time having a hilarious tea party with Paddington Bear.

The Daily Telegraph (Australia) published two cartoons featuring Paddington Bear in relationship to the Queen's passing. The famous book character was crying at that table, now with an empty chair, with a handbag sitting beside it. The second cartoon featured Paddington Bear walking behind the Queen's cortège. My head is still full of the music & sounds of that funeral in Westminster Abbey, and today we watched the Committal ceremony, at St Georges Chapel where she was interred.

Farewell Elizabeth II, Queen of Great Britain & Northern Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Solomons Island, Tuvalu, Papua Niugini, etc Head of the Commonwealth of Nations, Defender of the Faith, Temporal Governor of the Church of England, plus much else. Her Crown has passed on, to Charles III. 

I watched the funeral yesterday too and found it so moving. The British are famous for pomp and ceremony, and with good reason, but despite the scale of the occasion, it was also very reserved and dignified, as it should be. A deeply and truly Christian funeral service too, for a woman who showed so much of what Christianity is about by simply living it. At a time when it seems the teachings of Christ are so often misrepresented and distorted and ridiculed, it was good for the world to see and hear a ceremony like that, I think.

For me the most poignant moment was as the service ended and the lone piper played one last time for the Queen (she famously loved the bagpipes and had a piper play them for her every morning!)... all of a sudden, I found tears in my eyes. It was only afterwards that I learned that the piece he played is called "Sleep, Dearie, Sleep". (Hang on, why am I just now finding it difficult to see again? 😢 😢 😢 )

Rest in peace, Your Majesty.