[V.Narayan]

Queen Elizabeth II, Queen of the United Kingdom and the world’s longest ruling Head of State passed away last night after a rule that spanned a little over 70 years. This thread is not about political views or the United Kingdom. It is about the sense of service, unfaltering commitment and duty Queen Elizabeth II embodied and delivered on consistently without a break for 7 decades. Talk of strength of character.

To live 96 years is a long time, to work for 70 years is longer and she was working till literally till Tuesday appointing her country’s PM, Liz Truss.
While I am no supporter or apologist for colonial rule I admire this person’s steadfast sense of duty, delivered flawlessly without complain. These are qualities in less supply in the social media world we live in today.

Another quality worth emulating is that she changed with the time. Despite being born to entitled wealth and privilege in a country that then ruled the world she adjusted to the loss of the empire and dramatic changes in social norms in her country and did so seamlessly. Changing with the times as you grow older is one of the hardest things to do.

In today's world where we moan and groan on social media almost relentlessly, where we change jobs every few years, where we blame our situation on others -boss, manager, employer, Govt, et al except ourselves, where we sometimes fail to exercise perseverance and patience her life is an example for us.

May God bless her. R.I.P.

Posts and comments are welcome, sans politics or undue criticism.

[dailydriver]

The longest serving monarch of England has ended her reign.

Ascending the throne at a time when the fortunes of her nation were clearly in tatters, the Queen managed to maintain and present herself and her throne with a dignity that is rarely paralleled.

She remained the metaphorical rock that kept her country and the Commonwealth steady through the turbulent waters of history.

She was liked, admired and adored by millions around the globe; the recently concluded Platinum Jubilee celebrations holding a proper mirror to the place she has carved herself in the hearts of her subjects.

On a personal note, the fan that I was (in my younger days) of Princess Diana, I had a not so complimentary view of the Queen for a while. But the years and the maturity that came with them have taught me that the Queen was as much a human as all of us are and therefore she too was a servant of the circumstances. Moreover, her being in office meant that she couldn't give full expression to her personal feelings and was compelled to look at everything from the lofty balcony of the Buckingham Palace.

Her son, the eternal Prince in Waiting will now be crowned the King and will be called King Charles III. He is 73.

Of all the pictures circulating in the media eulogising her to no end, the one that strikes me as most meaningful is this:



Allow me, in the true English tradition, to pay respects to the departed soul by saying: The Queen is dead; Long Live the Queen!

[shankar.balan]

She is the last of the True, Dignified and Genteel Monarchs that this world will ever know. So much History gone, with her passing. The newer, scandal ridden generations of ‘Royals’ cant hold a candle to Queen Elizabeth II.
For me Queen Elizabeth’s real character was exemplified by her volunteer service during WW2 at the time of the London Blitz. Truly a Queen of the People. The Queen of Hearts. The passing of an Era. Rest In Peace.

[KL01toKA03]

On a related note, the change from a queen to king will result in many changes including currencies and national anthems of multiple countries.

https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/in-b...g-king-3328838

[Turbohead]

The Queen in a gist:

https://twitter.com/davidmackau/stat...rican-tourists

That's humility.

[moralfibre]

May the Queen's soul rest in peace.

Since we are an automotive forum, here are some interesting cars that the Queen traveled in her various visits to India:

The Rashtrapati Bhavan Mercedes 600. (Cars of Rashtrapathi Bhavan - wheels for a nascent Nation / Republic)

Onboard the super sexy Buick Super Eight (Cars of Rashtrapathi Bhavan - wheels for a nascent Nation / Republic)

Another 47/48 Buick on her visit to Jaipur. (How rich were the Maharajas before Independence! Cars of the Maharajas)

Cruising aboard a Chrysler Windsor in erstwhile Madras

The queen surely loved being in open top cars. Even if had a hacked roof like the one on this Dodge Kingsway. (Cars of Rashtrapathi Bhavan - wheels for a nascent Nation / Republic)

In a 61 Cadillac at Udaipur (How rich were the Maharajas before Independence! Cars of the Maharajas)

In another Buick (Cars of Rashtrapathi Bhavan - wheels for a nascent Nation / Republic)

The queen surely loved to drive herself. Here are some of her pics while at Link.


I happened to have visited a famous collector's garage in Pune alongwith Karl and saw a Lincoln(?) that ferried the queen on one of her visits as well.

[abs182]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

She is the last of the True, Dignified and Genteel Monarchs that this world will ever know. So much History gone, with her passing. The newer, scandal ridden generations of ‘Royals’ cant hold a candle to Queen Elizabeth II.
For me Queen Elizabeth’s real character was exemplified by her volunteer service during WW2 at the time of the London Blitz. Truly a Queen of the People. The Queen of Hearts. The passing of an Era. Rest In Peace.

True. The sheer longevity of her reign and her way of carrying it out flawlessly is something anyone can take inspiration from. For many alive today not across the UK but the world she was a constant north star in the rapidly changing world around her and her reign.

And the fact that the role was thrusted onto her without any warning makes it even more admirable.

[lapis_lazuli]

The loving great granny, Gan Gan as she was called!

She always came across as someone who commanded natural respect, love and awe. Both she and her late husband: (wealth notwithstanding), and at ripe age, looked really elegant together.

I think there is a lot of politics happening in the UK especially after Brexit but the common Brit were generally highly respectful of the Queen. Exceptional poise and composure, even after a great tragedy. RIP!

[PreludeSH]

Originally Posted by dailydriver

The longest serving monarch of England has ended her reign.


Allow me, in the true English tradition, to pay respects to the departed soul by saying: The Queen is dead; Long Live the Queen!

The Queen is dead, Long live the King ? I thought its for the continuance of monarchy.

[dragracer567]

The Queen has always been a symbol of stability for the British and the Commonwealth realm. I don’t live in Britian but I remember listening to her speech in COVID and feeling just a bit more comforted. The Monarch as an institution may not make much sense in the 21st century but most Brits and those from the Commonwealth realm continued to support the Monarch primarily because they adored the Queen, even the Gen Zs many of whom lovingly call her ‘Lizzy’, infact, she was more like the granny whom you go to for comfort when you get sick of all the political turmoil. The years post WW-2 hasn’t been particularly easy for the British - it saw them decline from having the largest empire in human history to being a sidekick to the Americans militarily, economically, politically and culturally but the Queen had always been this timeless source of strength for the nation and perhaps in some ways to the world. Dare I say, it’s because of the Queen that the British monarch and their family remains so popular and familiar worldwide, I mean, how many of us know or follow the Dutch, Spanish, Swedish, Belgian etc. monarchs and their families?

The institution of the British Monarchy might not be very relevant these days and would be held with contempt (rightly so) in the former colonies including India but the person who held the throne for close to 7 decades truely gave it meaning - a figure stamp that really mattered.

I came across this anecdote about the Queen meeting some American hikers who didn't know who she was. She really had a sense of humor!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uw9g1Q74t4s

Another anecdote was shared by PM Modi when the Queen showed him the handkerchief that Mahatma Gandhi had gifted her for her marriage.

[srini1785]

I am not a fan of Monarchies. She was one of the last link to a generation when monarchies were still very much in vogue. She saw a world war, Gandhi, Mao, Stalin and Hitler. She lived through at least 5 actors playing James Bond. She held a family together and maintained a stoic silence when scandals hit the monarchy starting from Diana's death to Andrew's escapades (you know the story). So, yes, her life was very well lived and eventful.

Monarchies and their relevance to modern society is a hotly debated topic. Some are highly popular still like the Bhutanese, others are controversial like the Japanese, few others are scandalous like Cambodian/ Nepalese/ Thai and then there are the Outright brutal ones like Saudi/Chinese (Yes) and most African Dictatorships. It takes a special kind of skill to keep an outdated system like a Monarchy not only running but popular. She did that job all these years with aplomb. So RIP.

[EV NXT]

Phillip came to me today,
and said it was time to go.
I looked at him and smiled,
as I whispered that "I know"

I then turned and looked behind me,
and saw I was asleep.
All my Family were around me,
and I could hear them weep.

I gently touched each shoulder,
with Phillip by my side.
Then I turned away and walked,
with My Angel guide.

Phillip held my hand,
as he lead the way,
to a world where King's and Queens,
are Monarch's every day.

I was given a crown to wear
or a Halo known by some.
The difference is up here,
they are worn by everyone.

I felt a sense of peace,
my reign had seen its end.
70 years I had served my Country,
as the peoples friend.

Thank you for the years,
for all your time and love.
Now I am one of two again,
in our Palace up above.

*With due credits to the Anon author.

[CarNerd]

The British Empire has truly ended with the Queen's demise! James Bond will no longer be On Her Majesty's Secret Service. We should appreciate the fact that she was quite healthy and fit for such a long time even during the pandemic. We can learn something from her lifestyle routine and diet. In my opinion, Prince Charles (Now King) appeared older than her. She may be the Queen of Hearts but one can never forget the People's Princess - Diana who had unmatchable charm and compassion.

Did you know that the Queen was the only person who could drive legally without a driving license? Or that she didn't need a Passport to travel? Some other lesser known facts: She never went to a school, She had two birthdays, She was a trained military truck driver and mechanic, She was the first monarch to send an email, She survived 3 assassination attempts.

Let me share some videos about the Queen's visit to India:

https://youtu.be/L9O7yVed-tw

https://youtu.be/Wt09rpozCGE

https://youtu.be/IRyEJ0lltOY

https://youtu.be/mKtC3UFwXzY

https://youtu.be/tFkU5S3QLqQ

[digitalnirvana]

Rest easy QE2.

Some facts to highlight her longevity:
Her first PM was Winston Churchill born 1874. Her last PM was Liz Truss born 1975.

She was the Queen for 30% of USA's time as an independent nation.

To me (as I'd lived in the UK) and a lot of Englanders that I know, its weird and a sense of loss. We joked that she'll be there till the heat death of the universe. She'd managed to transform the Monarchy to a much softer version as The Royal Family. Of course those in Scotland or across the water will have a less favorable view and I think its inevitable that the monarchy will go soon, at least in many places of the Commonwealth.

I think her biggest success was that she provided a sense of stability and respect to post War Britain which has increasingly gone through social upheavals.

There will be no one like her ever again.

[shancz]

We usually fail to focus on the folks who relentlessly carry out their tasks for decades without complaining.
Thank You for this post, without which I wouldn't have been able to lament on her journey and qualities in this way.

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

- Talk of strength of character.
- Changing with the times as you grow older is one of the hardest things to do.
- where we sometimes fail to exercise perseverance and patience her life is an example for us.

- Absolutely, realising what she has achieved leaves me in awe.

- Another very rare and difficult to achieve quality. While I cannot imagine the situation she had to deal with but I am sure the changes overseas had matching challenges at home.

- The most needed virtue to emulate IMHO.

The only incident I remember was when she drove the Saudi King Abdullah in a Land Rover, around her estate, when women were forbidden to drive in Saudi.
That's making a strong statement without saying a word, in those echelons, absolute class.

A life well lived and a job well done, exceptional and inspirational, RIP.