(MENAFN- AzerNews)
By Orkhan Amashov
She was a constant presence in a changing world and the acme of
supreme adaptability, allowing her to steer a course through
turbulent times. In an epoch of emotional incontinence and instant
gratification, Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II stood stoically
as a reminder of higher virtues, encapsulating a sense of duty,
forbearance and self-sacrifice.
She was the embodiment of history incarnate and a powerful
connection to yesteryear, remaining undiminished in an era of an
anti-historical frenzy. The Queen was the solid epicentre of
lucidity rising above controversy and a source of calm and
continuity when most certainties seemed to be easily assaulted. For
monarchists, she was the height of the tradition, for republicans,
the sole undeniable justification for the preservation of this
archaic, yet relevant and highly popular, institution.
As former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson poignantly
remarked in his tribute, which was the oratorial pinnacle of all
the speeches on the passing of Her Late Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II
“was the keystone in the vast arch of the British state”. She
encapsulated a different, somewhat transcendental form of
authority, radiating calmness and unperturbable confidence,
constantly indicating that the wheels would be in endemic
motion.
When each newly-elected, or newly-appointed Prime Minister, if
to follow the convention strictly, appeared in front of the famous
lacquered door of Number 10 Downing Street, grandiosely declaring
that“Her Majesty the Queen has asked me to form a government and I
have accepted”, those erudite words concealed the whole brilliance
of British democracy, whereby the people's will and the monarch's
prerogative constituted unshakable oneness. Queen Elizabeth II did
her duty with unsurpassed dedication to ensure the firmness and
acceptability of this lofty design.
In British politics, the Queen was supposed to have no opinion,
a tendency that was strictly observed. This task may superficially
seem easy, requiring merely the art of saying nothing political.
Yet imagine for a moment that this gracious lady's reign spanned 15
Prime Ministers, from Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill to Liz
Truss and think of all the wealth of experience that she gained
from dialogue with world leaders, and then reflect on her wisdom,
discretion and delicacy in being a unifying force of the nation,
remaining one stalwart reference point, not a substance-free, but
an above-routine-substance anchor, which never failed to be beyond
any meaningful reproach.
Her neutrality manifested itself most overwhelmingly during the
Scottish referendum in 2014. One would have thought that the
question on Scotland staying or leaving the United Kingdom was
beyond daily politics, and due to its essential impact on the
future of Britain, the Queen could have been forgiven the
expression of some views. She did not. And when then-Prime Minister
David Cameron injudiciously revealed Her Majesty's delight at the
referendum, the Palace was furious at his indiscretion. The
monarchy's influence must be subtle, vague and largely indefinable,
yet potent in its ability to penetrate minds. A useful counterpoint
was provided by her erstwhile consort Prince Philip, the Duke of
Edinburgh, whose pithy comments were pointed and sometimes
unerringly accurate.
So globally trusted and above international politics she was
that even Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose country is at its
absolute lowest ebb with Britain, has also paid his tribute,
calling her passing a 'heavy irreparable loss'. A smart aleck in
the habit of dismissing this language as hypocritical cant, or, at
best, meaningless diplomatic nicety, may beg to differ. Yet, this
brief interlude of respect is not utterly pointless, as it reminds
us that beyond the moment of anger and bitterness, there is always
a higher domain whereby courtesy and deference prevail over
everything else.
The succession has seamlessly happened. The former Prince of
Wales is now King Charles III. In line with the time-honoured
tradition, the phrase“God Save the King” has resounded across the
United Kingdom, as if“denying” Her Late Majesty her due period of
mourning. Yet, as Bruce Anderson of the Spectator magazine reminded
us recently, this is the gist of the continuity that lies at the
heart of the monarchy. The idea of 'secular immortality' is fixedly
clear, so it is paradoxically possible to swing in an instant from
tears to cheering as, despite death, Britain also celebrates what
is lasting and somewhat permanent.
Yet today, when Her Majesty lies in state in the Westminster
Hall, reunited in the afterlife with her beloved Philip, it is the
fact of the loss on which our minds are fixed. It behoves one to
say here that, despite Britain no longer having an Empire ruling
the waves, upon which the sun never sets, the Late Queen's passing
entails even a greater historical proportion than that of Queen
Victoria. The Second Elizabethan age has come to an end.
People across the globe, not just in Britain, not just in
Commonwealth realms, but far beyond, felt a deep sense of loss and
grief when the news of the Queen's passing was made public. And in
the depths of our sorrow, we all felt how much that dignified woman
encapsulating timelessness and unshakable continuity meant to all
of us. Rest in peace, Your Majesty.
Requiescet in pace.
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