Today the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II will be held at Westminster Abbey. Afterwards, her coffin will be taken to St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle to be interred (along with her husband’s). The past eleven days have been surreal and busy for me personally. There is a lot to grapple with. The history of the British Empire leading into the Commonwealth and the role of the monarch is a complex idea, and one that I continually tussle with in my own academic research, and will continue to do so.
However, right now, I’ve been struck by the very personal nature of her passing. Seeing her grandchildren stand vigil over her coffin in Westminster Hall while carrying such immense grief was heartbreaking. And seeing Paddington Bears left at Buckingham Palace was incredibly touching.
The question of whether or not the monarchy should be abolished is a valid question in any country with a monarchy. I believe that if Canada or any other nation wants to explore abolishing the monarchy, they should do so. (I do believe that you need to lay out what the alternative(s) would be before holding a referendum, though. We’ve seen what Brexit has done.) And people should be able to protest the monarchy peacefully if they so choose.
Today I will be watching the funeral of Canada’s longest-serving monarch. I consider this to be one of the most historic moments I have lived through. I am grateful that so much of the past week has been available, no matter who you are or where you live. And I hope that if you want, you are able to watch the funeral, as well.
The blog will resume the regular post schedule on Wednesday, 21 September. Thank you for following my coverage over the last two weeks.
