Sadder than I thought...

 To be honest I've never really thought too deeply about our monarchy, although I do think that it's possibly somewhat more politically neutral than having an elected head of state may be ~ that is just my personal opinion, folks, I'm not looking to have arguments over it!  So I was rather surprised that I have felt so much sadder than I ever thought I would.  Perhaps it's because the Queen has always just been there, sort of like one of the fixtures and fittings of the nation?  It's also been heart-breaking seeing the members of the royal family having to grieve so publicly, especially for King Charles as he takes up the role of monarch with all that it entails.  I'm glad that he has Camilla at his side to help provide him with love and support during this new era for both of them.

As I watched the journey of the Queen's coffin from Balmoral to Edinburgh, I felt a great deal of pride in the way that the people of Scotland showed such respect and love for her.  It seems very fitting that she spent the final days of her life in the home and country that she loved so much.  On Tuesday I watched as The Princess Royal accompanied her mother from St Giles Cathedral to Buckingham Palace; the grief etched on her face throughout the whole of what must be such a terrible ordeal is something that will stay with me for a long time.

Yesterday I watched the procession from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall, where the Queen now lies in state until her funeral next Monday.  Thousands of people are expected to file past to pay their last respects to a monarch who for so many of us is the only one we have ever known.

I'm not a die-hard Royalist and I certainly don't believe that they are more important human beings than anyone else on this planet.  And whilst I understand the Monarch's position as head of the Church of England, I don't believe that any "leader" of any religion is closer to God than anyone else.  I will raise my head above the parapet, as it were, and put it out there to say that despite having my own spiritual beliefs I have many problems with "organised" religion.  Now, however, is not the time or place to shake that particular hornet's nest!

I was born in 1961, so my formative teenage years were in the 1970s.  Thinking back to that time, I really don't think that there were that many female role models who were given equal status to the men who seemed to rule the world.  Whilst things were starting to change, very slowly, women were still largely seen as the "little woman".  Even if she worked outside the home, she was still expected to look after the house and children to a far greater extent than the "head of the household", and her place in the workforce was not considered as important as the men around her.

But despite this, and despite the era in which she herself grew up, there was Queen Elizabeth: a woman on the throne.  And all those men who didn't look at the women in their life as equals had to look up at the Queen, a woman, as the head of our nation.  So with the benefit of hindsight and maturity, I am thankful that we had her in our lives for so long.