Statue of Elizabeth II

A visit to York (on a very rainy day) gave me the opportunity to visit the Minster and see the new statue of HM Queen Elizabeth II, unveiled by King Charles III last November. The statue was intended as a tribute on the Queen's Platinum Jubilee, to mark her 70 years as monarch. Unfortunately she died just after it was finished and so the unveiling was delayed until after the mourning period. It has been placed in a niche on the cathedral's West Front, adjacent to the wonderful 'Heart of Yorkshire' west window. (The heart shape in the tracery can clearly be seen in the image below.)

The statue looks tiny in the vast expanse of the West Front stonework, but in fact is 2m tall and weighs almost two tonnes. It was carved from French Lepine limestone in the Minster's own stoneyard and designed by master carver Richard Bossons, one of the Minster's stonemasons. 

Inside the Minster there was an interesting exhibition detailing the statue's creation, from initial design through the modelling stages to the carving of the final sculpture. The larger-than-life-size model is on display so that visitors can see the detail close up. Made of polyurethane, modelling clay and plaster, the model provided precise 3D measurements, which were then machine-cut into a block of limestone. The master carver hand-finished the detailed carving. Her Majesty is depicted wearing Garter Robes. 

Long time readers of my blog may remember that my daughter and I were lucky enough to get tickets to watch the Garter Ceremony at Windsor Castle in 2013 (see HERE) so we did see the Queen in similar robes. The Order of the Garter is one of the oldest and most senior orders of knighthood in Britain, consisting of the Monarch, senior members of the Royal family and 24 Knights (both men and women), chosen personally by the Sovereign to honour those who have held public office, made an outstanding contribution to national life or served the Sovereign personally. 

19 September 2022

The day of the Queen's funeral. In memoriam

HM Queen Elizabeth II

1926 - 2022

‘God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea.' (Psalm 46)

'If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.' (Psalm 139)

'For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.' (Romans 8) 

Rest in Peace

As I'm sure the entire world has by now heard, the death was announced yesterday of HM Queen Elizabeth II. 

She has been our Queen literally for the whole of my life, acceding to the throne in February 1952. I was born in June 1952 and one of the earliest photos I have in my album is of myself, not quite a year old, waving a Union Jack flag on her Coronation Day in June 1953. My middle name is Elizabeth, as was common for many girls born in the early 1950s.

I have always been glad to live in a constitutional monarchy, though inevitably it throws up almost as many issues as it solves. It seems to me to be the best situation - or perhaps Queen Elizabeth herself made it the best. Whatever you think, it's hard to fault her sense of duty and her work ethic. (Just two days ago she was graciously dealing with our latest change of PM. One can't help but think perhaps it was a bit much for her at the age of 96.) 

I only ever actually saw her once, when my daughter obtained tickets in a ballot in 2013 to watch the Garter Day Ceremony procession at Windsor Castle, a very memorable occasion. My main recollection is how tiny the Queen was! I almost missed seeing her, as those around her (like the Duke of Cambridge, shown in the photo) were so much taller than she.

I have usually watched the major, televised ceremonial events: the Jubilees, the State Openings of Parliament, the Remembrance Day commemorations, Trooping the Colour, the royal weddings and so on. (You can say what you like about Great Britain but we do 'ceremonial' extremely well!) I suppose the next couple of weeks will be full of tributes and then, of course, the State Funeral. No doubt the Commonwealth and world leaders will be sending their best mourning suits to the dry cleaners, as I write. The plans will have been in place for years, tweaked and revised as various things have happened. 

There will be much reflection - on a long life well-lived, with wise moves and occasional mistakes, on its privilege and its duty. There will be much speculation about the future. At the most basic level, we will have to learn to sing 'God Save the King' from this day forward. As it is, it seems yet another hammer blow to all that we know and love about our country. These last few years have been so tough and the Queen remained a constant and somehow comforting presence.  

Rest In Peace, your Majesty. I am thankful to have been alive throughout your reign, living in peace, with relative stability and prosperity. It know it's been a privilege and not something to take for granted. I am grateful. 

My thoughts and prayers are with the Queen's family and close friends. (Heartbreaking to me that William and Harry have had to go to Balmoral, which will surely only serve to bring up distressing memories of learning there of their mother's death.) 

God Save the King. 

The Queen's Platinum Jubilee

I don't suppose it has escaped many people's notice that this year marks 70 years since Queen Elizabeth II's accession to the throne. This weekend is a four day celebration of this unique Platinum Jubilee, with events in London and locally too. Whilst not getting terribly excited about it all personally (no bunting here!), I am nevertheless glad to have lived literally all my life under her rule and glad to live in a constitutional monarchy, which to me seems rather preferable to any of the alternatives, despite all its flaws.  It's such a big thing that I felt I should make a blog post about it. 

Thursday saw the Trooping the Colour military ceremony, an annual event since 1748, marking the official birthday of the British sovereign.  This year the queen is too frail to take her usual role, so Prince Charles took her place, riding a beautiful black horse and flanked by Prince William and the Princess Royal. I sat and photographed the TV screen (as you do!) 😉. I do think the way we do these grand parades and events is rather special. I'm always amazed at the precision, the colourfulness and the sheer spectacle of them.  

The colour (flag) this year was trooped by the 1st Battalion, Irish Guards, supported by 1200 soldiers from the Household Division (the military units who provide ceremonial and protection roles for the sovereign), massed bands and 240 horses.  Below you can see Prince Charles (on the left) saluting the Household Cavalry. 

The Royal Family travel in a parade of carriages down The Mall to watch the ceremony and then back up to Buckingham Palace. This year the Cambridges' three children were involved. Prince Louis was waving so enthusiastically that his big sister Charlotte had to intervene! 

After the parade, thousands of onlookers are allowed to fill The Mall - quite a sight. 

Then there is the traditional 'balcony appearance' of the Royal Family, to watch a flypast of aircraft from the RAF, Royal Navy and Army - and happily the Queen was able to make an appearance. 

I thought the encounter between Prince Louis and his great-grandmother was rather touching. 

Fifteen RAF Typhoons flew in a 70 formation, and the famous Red Arrows, the RAF's aerobatic team, provided the finale.