It has been one month since Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II left the world on Thursday, 8 September 2022, at 3.10pm. I had been absolutely devastated when I heard the news as I had dreaded it the most. I mourned not only for her loss but also for the wartime generation, the end of an era, and a world I wasn’t prepared to live in. I knew she was at peace, but selfishly, I had always hoped that she would never leave us. That she would live to at least 100, perhaps even 102 like her mother. That we could celebrate yet another milestone and jubilee: become the longest reigning monarch in history and to celebrate 75 years on the throne.
Yet when I consider that the Queen never retired – when her peers had long retired three decades earlier – and continued to work at age 96, even up to the day before, I realise that life would take its toll. She fulfilled her promise at age 21 when she had declared ‘that [her] whole life whether it be long or short shall be devoted to [our] service and the service of our great imperial family to which we all belong.’
Although the official reason for her passing was old age, many of us accepted it was from a broken heart, having never been quite the same since her husband of 73 years had passed on 9 April 2021. Now she is buried with him and her parents and sister in King George VI Memorial Chapel in St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle. All together again.
I am so glad that she lived to see her Platinum Jubilee this summer and live to see 12 great-grandchildren.
I send my condolences to her immediate and extended family, to those who were close to her, and also to those of us who saw her as a surrogate grandmother (or mother).
Thank you for being a fine role model. Thank you for boldly sharing your faith. Thank you for your decades of service to us all. We miss you terribly.
Rest in peace, Your Majesty 💙
A Call to Donate
I recommend donating to the following charities, including the late Queen’s Canadian patronages for those of us in Canada:
- The Queen’s Green Canopy
- Canadian Cancer Society (1952)
- Canadian Red Cross Society (1952)
- Save the Children Canada (1952)
The Lady and the Rose 
Such a lovely post. I’ve been enjoying your blog/Instagram so much since I discovered you. Did you know that Her Majesty was also the patron of IODE? We are a women’s organization started in 1900 in Canada. There used to be over 80 chapters in Vancouver alone. Now we have one, Jessie F. Gordon Chapter, (named after the founder of Crofton House School). We are always looking for new members and would love it if you might check us out. It’s an organization that continues to do good but it seems like the membership just keeps shrinking as people age. Some new interest would be fantastic.
Thank you for sharing this, Stacy! I had no idea about IODE and would be interested in learning more. Happy New Year!