With the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II earlier this month, there are a couple of things I’ve heard from others that I believe really demonstrate, at least symbolically, how much some little things that I always took for granted will be changed now that the Second Elizabethan Era has come to a close. These changes will likely last for the rest of my lifetime:
- It is unlikely that many of us who are now alive will ever hear God Save The Queen sung live again. The present monarch is a king, and the next two immediate heirs apparent are princes (and the younger of the two is 9 years old).
- Queen Elizabeth II celebrated Silver, Ruby, Diamond, Saphire, and, most recently, Platinum Jubilees. While not all of these Jubilees were celebrated with the same level of pomp and circumstance, I lived through so many of them that it was easy to take them for granted. King Charles III is 73 years old. While I assume we will see some celebration when he marks 10 years on the throne, he would have to make it age 97 to celebrate his Silver Jubilee (which, given the longevity of his parents, is not out of the question). However, there is a greater-than-naught chance that I will never see a British Jubilee again.