Heads Review - Special Issue - 9 September

9 September 2022 – Special Issue

HEAD’S

WEEKLY REVIEW

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 1926-2022 The whole Roedean community is greatly saddened by the news from Buckingham Palace of the death of Her Majesty the Queen, aged 96, following a reign of over 70 years.

We send our sincere condolences to all the members of the Royal Family at this time of great personal loss to them. Our nation, and many nations around the world, share a profound sadness at this historic moment in all our lives.

After a lifetime of service and duty, we give thanks for her generosity of spirit, and her gift for bringing people together as we now enter a period of national mourning in her honour and memory. Her Majesty’s dedication to her faith, her nations, and her family is an example to all.

We brought our community together in Chapel this morning at this time of sadness, to honour Queen Elizabeth’s legacy and to share our thoughts and sympathy. During the period of national mourning, we will fly the Union Flag at half-mast, to join the country and many people around the world in expressing our profound and shared sadness.

Queen Elizabeth II was Britain’s longest serving monarch and her reign spanned many generations, and all our lifetimes. Her longevity connects her with those in our own families whom we also remember and miss. Many people will have been touched by her life of commitment and duty, and by all she stood for as a person – stability, generosity, loyalty, dedication, and kindness.

After 70 years of those duties and responsibilities, and even in her last days, it was clear that she remained true to those words, and, to the end, deeply and personally committed to her people.

Together, we are grateful for her leadership and example, for the service she has given, and for her wisdom and strength. Through times of national joy and national adversity, she remained our strength and stay.

Queen Elizabeth II touched so many lives; she will be sorely missed by millions.

9 September 2022 – Special Issue

HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW

Chapel – 9 September 2022 Marking the Death of Queen Elizabeth II Procession – Passacaglia in C minor, BWV582 (JS Bach) – Mr Wilson Bidding (from the Queen Mother’s Funeral) – Dr Barrand In gratitude, we bid farewell to a greatly loved Queen.

For her grace, humanity and sympathy, for her courage in adversity, for the happiness she brought to so many, for her steadfast pilgrimage of faith, for her example of service, and for the duty which she rendered unflinchingly to her country, we thank and praise Almighty God. A Tribute to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II – Mr Blond Hymn – I vow to thee, My Country Why the Queen Mattered and Her Legacy – Ms Keller Poem – You Can Shed Tears (Anon.) – Miss Hart You can shed tears that she is gone or you can smile because she has lived.

You can close your eyes and pray that she'll come back or you can open your eyes and see all she's left.

Your heart can be empty because you can't see her or you can be full of the love you shared.

You can turn your back on tomorrow and live yesterday or you can be happy for tomorrow because of yesterday.

You can remember her and only that she's gone or you can cherish her memory and let it live on.

You can cry and close your mind, be empty and turn your back or you can do what she'd want: smile, open your eyes, love and go on.

Reflection – Nimrod from Enigma Variations (Elgar) – Mr Rous Expressions of Sympathy from Across the World – Dr Hobbs and Miss Allen Hymn – Immortal, Invisible – (one of the Queen’s favourite hymns) Blessing – Mrs Sharp God grant to the living grace; to the departed rest; to the Church, The King, the Commonwealth, and all people, peace and concord; and to us sinners life everlasting; and the blessing of

God almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be among you and remain with you always. Amen.

Prayers – Mr Wriglesworth In Queen Elizabeth’s first Christmas broadcast in 1952, she said these words: 'Pray for me … that God may give me wisdom and strength to carry out the solemn promises I shall be making, and that I may faithfully serve Him and you, all the days of my life.’

We thank you Lord for Her Majesty the Queen - for her gracious and humble leadership, and service to those in this country and beyond.

We thank you today for a life well lived and although we mourn, we celebrate too all that she accomplished. We thank you that you did give her great wisdom and strength throughout her reign, just as she prayed over 70 years ago.

We pray especially for her family and those most affected by her passing, that they may know your peace and comfort at this time.

We thank you for her legacy, as the longest reigning British Monarch, that will leave an imprint in all of our lives.

Tributes from World Leaders EU Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, said the Queen's ‘empathy and ability to connect with every passing generation, while remaining rooted in the tradition that truly mattered to her, was an example of true leadership’.

As President of Canada, Justin Trudeau held back his tears in describing the Queen as one of his favourite people in the world, describing her compassion and warmth.

The President of France, Emmanuel Macron, spoke of a kind-hearted Queen who embodied the nation’s continuity over the last 70 Years. To mourn her passing, he ordered the Eiffel Tower to stand in darkness last night.

Narendra Modi, the Prime Minister of India, a place where in 1961, two million people had lined the road from the airport in Delhi just to catch a glimpse of her, tweeted that the Queen personified dignity and decency in public life.

Amen.

Story Illustrating the Queen’s Humour The Queen was known for her sense of humour and fun. There is a story told by her protection officer when he was accompanying her at Balmoral Castle in Scotland many years ago. Whilst walking around the Balmoral Estate they came across two American tourists, one of whom asked her if she lived in the area and had a house nearby.

The Queen confirmed that she did and that she’d been coming to this area for nearly 80 years. The American tourist looked at her and then her protection officer and asked her if in that case she had every met the Queen, to which she pointed to her protection officer and replied: ‘no but he meets her regularly’.

The American tourist then gives the Queen his camera and asks her to take a photograph of him with the protection officer – which she did and then suggested he might want a photograph of all three of them. She hoped that when he showed the photograph to his family and friends, that someone would tell him who she was.

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Olaf Schulz, the German Chancellor praised her wonderful humour, and said in a statement that her commitment to German British reconciliation after the horrors of World War II will remain unforgotten.

HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW

9 September 2022 – Special Issue

The Queen A Tribute by the Headmaster Yesterday afternoon, we were all alarmed by the news that doctors were concerned about the Queen’s health, and that her family were called to her bedside at Balmoral. Later, as we were all in our various homes, a notice was posted on the gates of Buckingham Palace, and the world changed.

making her the first woman in the Royal Family to serve in the military. On the day that war in Europe ended, she appeared on the Buckingham Palace balcony with her family and Winston Churchill, but, afterwards, she and her sister slipped out anonymously to join the crowds celebrating in the streets outside the Palace.

It simply read: The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon.

In 1947, on her 21st birthday, the Queen made a speech on BBC radio that was broadcast around the world. In it she said: ‘I declare before you all that my whole life, whether it be long or short will be dedicated to your service.’ Quite a promise for a 21-year-old to make, but one she certainly kept.

Her full name was Elizabeth Alexandra Mary.

Her full title was Elizabeth II, by the Grace of God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and of her other realms and territories, Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith.

To us, the Queen. For 70 years, the Queen. For 70 years, the face we all knew, on every coin, and stamp, at every Royal occasion, at every Christmas, in times of joy, in times of trouble. A seemingly permanent presence, Queen Elizabeth II was our longest-living monarch, and the longest serving monarch in British history.

Born in 1926, the Queen saw immense changes in her long life, and one of the many reasons she was held in such great respect and affection by so many people was that she was a constant, stable, warm, and reassuring presence in an inconstant and unstable world.

In the time of social media, when we are sadly used to people, politicians, and celebrities behaving badly and lashing out at others, it is remarkable that in 96 years of being filmed and scrutinised, the Queen never said anything rude or unkind. She met thousands of people every year, and she never made anybody feel awkward or uncomfortable. On the contrary, people around the world commented on her warmth, her humour, and how skilled she was at putting people at ease.

Born Princess Elizabeth of York, to a warm and loving family, she wasn’t expected ever to become queen, but in 1936, when she was ten years old, her grandfather died and her uncle abdicated, making her father king – the third king in that one year – and making her next in line for the throne.

The Queen was 13 when World War II began.

The king was urged by some advisors to send his children to Canada for safety, but he wanted his family to stay together, and, as soon as she was old enough, the Queen joined the Auxiliary Territorial Service as a driver and mechanic,

Her father, to whom she was extremely close, and who was her role model her whole life, died when she was only 25, making her queen. Her coronation in 1953 was the first to be televised, and in fact the first time that TV cameras had been allowed in Westminster Abbey.

The role of a constitutional monarch is an extraordinary and complex one: they must be above party politics, and aim to be a source of stability and unity for everyone in the country, as well as representing their country around the world.

The Queen took this role extremely seriously: duty and service were incredibly important to her.

During her reign she made official visits to over a hundred countries, making her the most travelled monarch in history, and she hosted hundreds of state visits to Britain, as well as undertaking hundreds of public engagements every year: visiting hospitals, schools, and workplaces, attending celebrations, and comforting those grieving terrible tragedies. She was sustained in all her work by her happy 73-year marriage to Prince Philip, and by her strong Christian faith.

She also adored dogs and horses, who have no interest in you being the most famous woman in the world, but love you for yourself – and because you feed them treats.

During the Queen’s reign, she appointed 15 Prime Ministers, the first Winston Churchill, the last Liz Truss this Tuesday. She saw the rise and fall of Hitler, the Moon landings, the building and the dismantling of the Berlin Wall, and the dawn of the internet. Through all this, she was a constant and reassuring presence in a changing and often frightening world.

She was the most famous person on the planet, recognised around the globe. And she never once gave an interview.

We welcome contributions from all parts of the Roedean community.

If you have something you would like featured in the Headmaster’s Weekly Review, please email: abw@roedean.co.uk

Barack Obama gave a thoughtful and personal tribute to the Queen yesterday, in which he praised her ‘grace, elegance, and tireless work ethic.’ He continued: ‘She listened deeply, thought strategically, and was responsible for considerable diplomatic achievements… Time and again we were struck by her warmth, the way she put people at ease, and how she brought her considerable humour and charm to moments of great pomp and circumstance.’

Everyone who knew the Queen personally commented on her sense of humour, and as she grew older, she also grew more relaxed about having moments of fun in public.

For the opening ceremony of the 2012 London Olympics, in her Diamond Jubilee year, she was filmed with her beloved corgis being collected from Buckingham Palace by Daniel Craig as James Bond, and apparently parachuting from a helicopter into the Olympic Stadium. And this year, for her Platinum Jubilee, she was filmed having tea with Paddington.

She was our Queen from February 6, 1952, aged 25, when her father passed away, to yesterday, aged 96. On becoming Queen, she said: ‘By the sudden death of my dear father I am called to assume the duties and responsibilities of sovereignty. My heart is too full for me to say more to you today than I shall always work, as my father did throughout his reign, to advance the happiness and prosperity of my peoples, spread as they are all the world over.’

This, she did. Just two days before she died, at the age of 96, with failing health, she was still working, formally inviting Liz Truss to be the new Prime Minister. On her death, her son, Charles, Prince of Wales, immediately became King. He is now King Charles III. In a mark of how quickly time can pass and things change, we began this week with a male Prime Minister and a female Monarch, we end with a female Prime Minister and a male Monarch.

Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II gave us all a feeling of permanence in a world and across communities that can turn so quickly. We remember and give thanks for this reassuring figurehead, ‘everyone’s nan’ as one grieving member of the public called her, this world leader, mother, grandmother, great grandmother, and for 70 years, our sovereign.

HM Queen Elizabeth II. Rest in peace.

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