An Extraordinary Life

As we heard the seismic news yesterday of the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, it didn’t feel right to send out my usual newsletter.

For us in the UK, she has always been there. My mother, aged 81, remembers the previous monarch and, on being informed of his death at school, was instructed by the headmistress to be solemn and sad because the king was dead.

But my mother is in the minority. There are many old enough to collect a pension and still only know the Queen as our head of state.

I’ve always been fascinated by the royal family. As a girl I used to collate scrap books of royal comings and goings. I was captivated by the coronation and the crown jewels. I remember a neighbour of my grandmother’s undertaking a jewellery making course and I pleaded with her to make me a crown.

In latter years my envy switched to the Queen’s handbags. Almost every time I see footage of her, including in the last twenty-four hours, I find myself uttering the words, “I love her bag!”

As the decades have rolled by, we have continued to be inspired by the Queen’s devotion to the nation. Even those of a more anti-monarchist persuasion have conceded that you can’t fault Her Majesty’s sense of duty.

She has been with us in times of joy and in times of sorrow. I was deeply touched by her message at the beginning of the first covid-19 lockdown where she assured us that though we would have more to endure, we would meet again.

My heart goes out to King Charles and his siblings. They have lost both of their parents in the space of less than eighteen months. This would be difficult for anyone to bear but our new King, at the age of 73, started a new job yesterday and will carry out his duties in the glare of global media.

As well as taking care of the serious stuff the Queen had a lighter side. In 2012, she allowed James Bond to accompany her to the opening of the London Olympics and, at the recent Platinum Jubilee, she entertained a rather mischievous bear.

On this day of grey skies, sadness and uncertainty I’d like to offer you a fun reminder of how we discovered what Her Majesty kept in those iconic handbags.

In the words of Paddington Bear – thank you Ma’am, for everything.

Take care of yourselves

Plodding gently

Cali x