My tribute to the Queen 🇬🇧

I was born in South Africa to a British father and a South African mother. My father had been a glider pilot during the war so had fought for King and country. South Africa, until 1961, had been a British colony. My mother and her family remained staunch royalists after South Africa become a republic. To so many people, losing the Queen as their head of state, was a sad day. The royal visit, in 1947, remained a topic of conversation for many years!

My parents were on holiday in Edinburgh in 1975 and had stood in the crowd when the Queen and her entourage had driven past. According to my mother, the Queen saw her, waved and smiled directly at her! My mother was convinced that she had been singled out and nothing was going to change her mind! Apparently this was one of the queen’s many unique talents when she met people, albeit even briefly. She would focus on them as if they were the only person present. Being shy herself, and very modest, she could understand the overwhelming sense of awe felt by members of the public.

I never met the Queen but have always felt a deep respect and admiration for her. I held a British passport even before I emigrated to England. I had to denounce my South African one which was quite unnerving. I couldn’t hold two passports in South Africa at that time. As the child of a British father, this gave me the right to a British passport. On each of my trips to England I would feel as if I was coming home. Emigrating on the 1st January 1991 was exciting and very daunting but felt right. I love this country and have always been so proud of the Queen and all the pomp and ceremony the British do so well.

Looking back at the thirty odd years that I have lived in England, the Queen was always there. Through good times and bad she was at the helm, dependable, stable and strong. Even social media could not point fingers at her devoted service and unfailing duty to her country and to those of the commonwealth.

The Queen loved bright colours. It had been reported that she wore them because she was small and wanted to stand out in a crowd. I’m sure another reason was that the colours reflected her wonderful zest for life. Those endless rounds of meeting and greeting people, here and abroad, never seemed to phase her!

I know the Queen didn’t have to do mundane housework, had servants and could afford fancy clothes and a lifestyle many can only dream of, but money doesn’t buy everything. In fact, with all the perks it would be easy to become complacent. Taking on the role of Queen at such a young age could have given her an excuse to delegate many foreign trips and patronages. She had a young family to care for. But she immediately accepted the huge challenge and ‘just got on with it’!

On her first televised Christmas broadcast in 1957, she said these words with absolute sincerity. They weren’t idle words which sounded good at the time but would soon be forgotten. She went on to prove that she meant every one of them.

‘I cannot lead you into battle. I do not give you laws or administer justice. But I can do something else. I can give you my heart and my devotion to these old islands and to all peoples of our brotherhood of nations’.

And so, sadly, after seventy long years, our Queen has left us. She has joined her beloved husband, sister and parents. Now we are left to grieve the loss of a wonderful monarch and a truly exceptional human being.

Her funeral was spectacular, yet solemn, respectful and so well organised. Seeing those crowds lining the streets was humbling. So many had also spent hours waiting in queues to pay their respects when the Queen lay in state in Westminster Hall. Her family can be in now doubt that she was much loved and will be sorely missed.

King Charles has huge shoes to fill. I hope, for his dear mother’s sake, that he gets the support and help he needs in the months and years ahead. Never have times been harder for the Royal family. I’m hopeful that we’ll all stand by our King and give him every opportunity to shine, as his mother did. We owe it to our dear queen in appreciation for all her years of devoted service to us.

God Save Our King!