# Condolences for our British fellows



## Loïc D (Sep 8, 2022)

Wish all condolences to all our British fellows here on VI-C for the passing of Queen Elizabeth II.

(many French people always had a sweet spot for her)


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## Laddy (Sep 8, 2022)

My condolences, too.


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## Gerbil (Sep 8, 2022)

I'm no Royalist but she was a remarkable person.


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## Zedcars (Sep 8, 2022)

Expected but still shocking. I’m surprised to find myself shedding a few tears. I’ve never met her, but she’s always been there as a kind of rock that binds the nation together as one. This decade is proving to be very strange and significant.

RIP Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.


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## jadedsean (Sep 8, 2022)

I'm Irish and i can say that England and Ireland have had in the past a checkered past but, this is also a sad for my country. My deepest condolences to my fellow British composers.


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## Al Maurice (Sep 8, 2022)

It's a sad day for the UK and the Commonwealth too.


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## Markrs (Sep 8, 2022)

It feels surreal, you knew it was coming due to her age, all the same she was still active in the last few days, but it was clearly her time.

It shows her impact on the world as all the news sites I visited from different parts of the world have her death as main article.


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## Loïc D (Sep 8, 2022)

I saw her once with her family going out of church next to Balmoral.
She passed away on my birthday…


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## The Gost (Sep 8, 2022)

Loïc D said:


> I saw her once with her family going out of church next to Balmoral.
> She passed away on my birthday…


This will give you strength for your music.


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## Ed Wine (Sep 8, 2022)

RIP my Queen.


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## paularthur (Sep 8, 2022)

RIP.


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## Shad0wLandsUK (Sep 8, 2022)

Loïc D said:


> Wish all condolences to all our British fellows here on VI-C for the passing of Queen Elizabeth II.
> 
> (many French people always had a sweet spot for her)


Much appreciated

We lost our second dog today Staffordshire bullterrier (first one in February, Aussie Jack russell)
And our Queen in one day


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## sostenuto (Sep 8, 2022)

Condolences for all. Amazing lady, human being, example. 
Notable global presence throughout my lifetime. 
Definitely feel the loss here in southwestern USA.


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## SupremeFist (Sep 8, 2022)

Loïc D said:


> Wish all condolences to all our British fellows here on VI-C for the passing of Queen Elizabeth II.
> 
> (many French people always had a sweet spot for her)


Thank you! I lived in Paris for many years and though my French friends always had a healthy scepticism for most things anglo-saxon they were in general rather affectionate towards la reine. (Who herself spoke French, after a fashion.)


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## nolotrippen (Sep 8, 2022)

She was popular in the US as well. Just cleaned up this old scan to post here: Andre Durenceau art, Queen Elizabeth (RIP) American Weekly 15 March 1953


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## SteveC (Sep 8, 2022)

She always had good timing...


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## MA-Simon (Sep 8, 2022)

A bit shocked by the news.
We have had her forever as a figure in our shop. Solar powered she was eternally waving at customers.

She was the rock of the british. I am unshure what will become of england now that there is only Boris to remember for outsiders.


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## rnb_2 (Sep 8, 2022)

The world changed immeasurably during her lifetime, and while she was hardly perfect in her reaction to some of those changes, I'm not sure that anyone in her position would have done better, and most would likely have done much worse.

I was unbelievably lucky that, on a trip to London in the fall of 2019, we came out of a tube station in the midst of a gathering crowd and realized that we were right on the route she would be taking to open Parliament. I managed to get several photos of the royal carriage as it passed, and both the Queen and future King (along with Camilla) are identifiable.

Condolences to all who are grieving her passing.


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## Daniel James (Sep 8, 2022)

Genuinely gutted.

What an incredible human she was. I am proud to have lived during her reign.


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## Technostica (Sep 8, 2022)

RIP. 
What an amazing lady. ❤️ 
The end of an era for sure.
The Monarchy might well struggle after her departure, a bit like Manchester United after Ferguson departed. 

The UK has been on a download slide these last years and this won't help.
It's all downhill from here, man the lifeboats and let's head for Rwanda chaps.


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## Zero&One (Sep 8, 2022)

RIP
I'm proud to have served her as a Coldstream Guard. Certainly the best boss I've ever had.


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## Shad0wLandsUK (Sep 8, 2022)

Zero&One said:


> RIP
> I'm proud to have served her as a Coldstream Guard. Certainly the best boss I've ever had.


Wow, really? What an honour


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## Marcus Millfield (Sep 8, 2022)

My condoleances to all. She was the epitome of queen-hood (is that a word?).

Will probably be weird to see Charles as King after 70-odd years of waiting.


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## ALittleNightMusic (Sep 8, 2022)

A sad day, even for the non-Brits. I imagine 99.9% of members of this community have known her as the only British monarch in their lives. A large percentage of the world's population is in the same camp. She was a constant through a turbulent seven decades for the world. Not born to be Queen and thrust upon the throne at a very young age, I imagine most people would have crumbled under the immense pressure of duty and public life. She persevered and excelled. An exemplary example for all of us.


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## R.G. (Sep 8, 2022)

I don't know if it will load, but this is a terrific story by one of her ex body guards:


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## Michael Antrum (Sep 8, 2022)

I was driving home in the famously unpredictable British weather when the heavens opened and the rain came down so hard all the cars on the motorway slowed to 40mph - and as the voice on the radio announced the passing of our Queen, a huge rainbow appeared on the horizon.

I think we, as a nation, have lost something very special. For those of you who haven't seen it, I like to remember Her Majesty's sense of humour.....


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## Double Helix (Sep 8, 2022)

The significance/usefulness of royalty has been discussed for centuries, but today is neither the time nor the place--As the United Kingdom's longest-serving monarch, she was loved & respected by tens of millions


My sincere sympathy to the late Queen Elizabeth's extended family, her loyal staff, and her far-flung subjects


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## Trash Panda (Sep 8, 2022)

And now her watch has ended.


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## Technostica (Sep 8, 2022)

There are messages on the front pages of the UK sites for Amazon, ebay, Marks and Spencer, Liverpool FC, Fred's Fish and Chips, all the big ones.


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## sostenuto (Sep 8, 2022)

Trash Panda said:


> And now her watch has ended.


Lilibet rests .............


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## Maxime Luft (Sep 8, 2022)

R.G. said:


> I don't know if it will load, but this is a terrific story by one of her ex body guards:



Excellent, what a story!
What a privilege to have lived during her reign. As a french-german I particularly appreciate the history of the Brits. My deepest condolences.


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## PaulieDC (Sep 8, 2022)

We are Americans in Arizona but have always admired her majesty's integrity and confidence and leadership, and wow was she a smart lady. Funny, it's not our country but we feel the loss here in our house quite strongly. It just seemed like she would always be there!

Condolences to her entire family, all those who were staff and _all _across the pond.


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## dpasdernick (Sep 8, 2022)

Godspeed Queen Elizabeth. With much love.


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## José Herring (Sep 8, 2022)

Oh lord this kind of hit me hard. She's been the queen since I can remember. 
What next, do we now have to suffer through a king of England? King Charles. Dear God no.


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## Zedcars (Sep 8, 2022)

I thought it was a bit tone deaf for Apple to send a marketing email out yesterday evening, but they redeemed themselves by having a tribute on their home page.

I don’t know what possessed me but I started reading through the comments on Macrumors’ post about the Queen’s passing. Overwhelmingly respectful but there are also quite a few highly disrespectful, ignorant and pretty nasty posts over there that make you question humanity. I guess it’s free speech and all, but there is a time and a place for that and I just think it is highly inappropriate.


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## Quasar (Sep 8, 2022)

Gerbil said:


> I'm no Royalist but she was a remarkable person.


I'm Irish American (dual citizenship) and lean Sinn Fein, but I AM a Royalist. I believe the British constitutional monarchy is worth preserving, and have never had anything but respect and admiration for Queen Elizabeth II, who clearly understood from a young age what her particular life destiny and office meant in terms of extrordinary dedication and service, and she spent her entire life unflaggingly devoted to performing her duty to the very best of her ability, never wavering in her commitment...

...I think she's one of the greatest people of the past 100 years, and arguably the greatest monarch the UK has ever had. I mourn her loss, and will remember her fondly. RIP.


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## GeorgeThatMusicGuy (Sep 9, 2022)

Such a truly sad day. Everyone I know is just devasted.

It’s going to be an interesting few years.

The Queen is Dead, Long Live The King.


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## Gerbil (Sep 9, 2022)

Technostica said:


> RIP.
> What an amazing lady. ❤️
> The end of an era for sure.
> The Monarchy might well struggle after her departure, a bit like Manchester United after Ferguson departed.
> ...


Destined to play in the global equivalent of the Europa league here on out.


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## TomislavEP (Sep 9, 2022)

My sincere condolences. She was an icon and the veritable bridge between the present and the past.

P.S. I've only recently learned that the great-grandfather of Elizabeth II was born in my town of Osijek, Croatia in 1837. (Esseg at the time).


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## shropshirelad (Sep 9, 2022)

Gerbil said:


> Destined to play in the global equivalent of the Europa league here on out.


We're already playing in the global equivalent of the Vanarama league.


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## Roger Newton (Sep 9, 2022)

Charles III. Sounds weird. Thinking back to the first Charles it didn't end well did it. Charles II was known as the Merry Monarch who enjoyed the company of orange sellers and actresses. Who knows?


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## patrick76 (Sep 9, 2022)

At the risk of offending everyone, I am interested as to why the queen is revered so? I don’t have a thorough knowledge of her life, but am aware of some generalities of the good and bad aspects associated with her. The reverence and emotion shown in this thread surprises me as a U.S. resident and I’m curious.


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## markleake (Sep 9, 2022)

@patrick76. I don't know if it's easy to explain the depth of feeling and sadness. But from just a small part of the Realms you may have heard mention of (Australia), I'll try and describe her significance...

She has been our head of state for the last 70 years. Most people in our country have never known any other reigning monarch. We've had 16 Prime Ministers while she was Queen (well, one was a repeat). On her first visit to our country (1954), over 7 million people came out to see her. That was a massive 70% of the population at the time! It's the biggest ever public event to have ever happened in our country.

While the monarchy no doubt has it's flaws (there's plenty of republicans here in Australia to point this out), and you may think we are fairly removed from/have moved on from old ideas like this... that really is not the case. The Queen had patronage of 27 Australian organisations. She has visited and toured many times, not to mention the many royal family members also. She always has been met on her visits here with much interest and affection (including by me, doing my roadside wave as she drove past the last time she was here). Much of our colonial and modern history has strong ties to the crown, and it is still an inherent part of government. Much of the symbology of state, including the royal symbols, our state flags, etc. is based on this history, as well as the role of the governor generals, and the way our governments and the courts operate. (Where I live the members of parliament now have to re-swear their oath of office to the new King, a quaint hold-over in our state constitution.) Even my state is named after a former Queen. We inherit common law still from England's middle-ages. Senior lawyers now change their titles to King's Council, and much of our currency will need to be remade with the King on it. We have a public holiday for (notionally) the Queen's birthday. You get the idea.

I think generally she is viewed here with respect, appreciation of her dedication to duty, her good humour and relatability, etc. There are some detractors, but considering the changes and developments that have occurred in her reign, she is arguably the most successful and influential monarch in history. The monarchy under her has brought a lot of stability and a sense of continuity/continuality amongst the change to many countries, including our own.

Speaking with some of my work colleagues yesterday, we all shed a bit of a tear. She's like the grandma you all know and love, who has now left us. It is truely a big loss for us. May she rest in peace.


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## redlester (Sep 10, 2022)

patrick76 said:


> At the risk of offending everyone, I am interested as to why the queen is revered so? I don’t have a thorough knowledge of her life, but am aware of some generalities of the good and bad aspects associated with her. The reverence and emotion shown in this thread surprises me as a U.S. resident and I’m curious.


This is very tricky in the sense of how to not say the wrong thing. I'm a British person, born in 1959 so she was all I ever knew as head of state. I am not a royalist and I do find the whole institution an anachronism. But I do not wish ill on them in a personal sense, it's not their fault they were born into it.

When the news was announced I was busy bathing my wife who had surgery on a broken wrist this week. We both looked at each other, knowing there was going to be a massive national outpouring of grief, that we wouldn't be able to take part in. I thought oh dear that's sad - but she was 96, which is pretty much what I would think of any old person passing when I never knew them.

I don't share the feelings of grief and loss, I feel like an outside observer in my own country. To say anything along the lines of pointing out that the reaction is more than a little over the top invites a pile-on especially on social media.

I genuinely cannot understand why people get emotional about this stuff, and I'm not criticising them for doing so. I just cannot take part in it.


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## jneebz (Sep 10, 2022)

I’m from the U.S. and I just happen to be in London on my honeymoon this weekend. The feeling of respect and honor for the late Queen is palpable and inspiring, really. The quality and endurance of her leadership is simply remarkable. Here are some pics I snapped at Buckingham Palace yesterday.


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## ptram (Sep 10, 2022)

Al Maurice said:


> It's a sad day for the UK and the Commonwealth too.


Yep. A large part of the world can't figure the extent of the Commonwealth. She was at the head of some 56 countries!


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## Technostica (Sep 10, 2022)

*<MODERATOR NOTE>*_ For context, note that we've deleted a few posts. Those deleted posts (which were here before Technostica wrote this post) are what he's referring to._

Somebody has recently died and that somebody was respected and liked by millions of people.
To enter a thread on the subject just to tell us that you don't understand why people care and that you have no interest in that person seems crass, especially given that her body isn't even in the ground yet.

I recall when Bowie died, that someone entered the thread on the SOS forums, just to say that they'd listened to a handful of songs and didn't see what the fuss was about.
Stay classy people.

I'm not a royalist, but is it possible just to respect that some people are upset without needing to jump in and tell us that you are indifferent?

In some cases, I wonder if it's a form of virtue signalling!
"Look at me, I'm above all this royalty nonsense, unlike you".
The Queen had more class than all of these types put together.


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## ZeroZero (Sep 10, 2022)

I am U.K. I respect the Queen. I see this reign as a Triumph. So, no tears here.


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## redlester (Sep 11, 2022)

Technostica said:


> *<MODERATOR NOTE>*_ For context, note that we've deleted a few posts. Those deleted posts (which were here before Technostica wrote this post) are what he's referring to._
> 
> Somebody has recently died and that somebody was respected and liked by millions of people.
> To enter a thread on the subject just to tell us that you don't understand why people care and that you have no interest in that person seems crass, especially given that her body isn't even in the ground yet.
> ...


Not specific to the Queens death but in general, there are tangential issues which always come up at these times, and it seems to go back to the reaction to the death of Diana, prior to which I don’t remember any similar debates.

But there is a massive clue in that as to why. Diana died in 1997, around the time when the internet was just becoming a thing in a big way. Prior to that people read about a national tragedy in the papers, saw it on the news, perhaps discussed it at work or school, but that was it. These days we are all reading the thoughts of others on the subject, some of whom will be a bit more passionate than others, via handheld devices 24/7. When you think about it like that there are bound to be debates. Then all it takes is someone to exaggerate to make a point and you’re into full blown nasty arguments.

It’s noticeable the usual suspects on social media seem to revel in deliberately winding people up at such times. The Queen certainly had more class than them.


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## Vik (Sep 11, 2022)

redlester said:


> I don't share the feelings of grief and loss, I feel like an outside observer in my own country.


If it helps, you're not really an outsider: "Although the British monarchy is supported by a plurality of people across most age groups in Great Britain, it is among over 65 year-old's where the level is support is highest at 77 percent. Younger age groups are progressively more likely to oppose the monarchy, with 31 percent of 18-24 year old's opting instead for an elected head of state."








Support for the monarchy Britain 2022, by age | Statista


Although the British monarchy is supported by a plurality of people across most age groups in Great Britain, it is among over 65 year-old's where the level is support is highest at 77 percent.




www.statista.com


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## redlester (Sep 12, 2022)

Vik said:


> If it helps, you're not really an outsider: "Although the British monarchy is supported by a plurality of people across most age groups in Great Britain, it is among over 65 year-old's where the level is support is highest at 77 percent. Younger age groups are progressively more likely to oppose the monarchy, with 31 percent of 18-24 year old's opting instead for an elected head of state."
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Phew. Thankfully I'm not 63 until later this month, so am safe for now. 

It never ceases to amaze me that, now that I am what could be referred to as "old", I get placed in a group that supposedly supports the monarchy, the "establishment" and Brexit, etc. I resent all of those things and I can't understand why those of my generation would feel differently. My wife feels exactly the same (she won't even let me put any of the TV coverage on) and she's 65. The exceptions that prove the rule? There must be others out there.


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