A Day of Mourning

 Monarchist or not it would be hard not to be drawn to the TV coverage of the late Queen's funeral today. The pomp and ceremony, the uniforms, the dignitaries and of course the adorable Prince George and Princess Charlotte.

I confess that while today was a day off from research, I did spend a good chunk of it looking at the uniforms of the visiting Commonwealth country's servicemen and women.

I also mounted a  set of seven Full-size medals. 

The day after

Today is still somewhat of a surreal day, with the loss of Her Majesty the Queen yesterday the world is mostly in mourning, except for a few individuals. 

Newspapers around the world carry her photo on the front cover. Sports events in the UK were postponed, and sports events in the US held two minutes of silence. World leaders paid their respects including Ukraine and Russia.

The death salute fired in her honour, with one shell for every year of her life, was the longest salute ever fired with 96 shells. 

The nation's television has been taken up all day with memorials and protocols. People mourning, and the new King meeting the new Prime Minister. We have seen lovely photographs and films of a young Queen, and people's memories.

The navy will of course be preparing the gun carriage for a state funeral as is the custom in the UK since the death of Queen Victoria in 1901. 

https://debretts.com/royal-family/royal-funerals/

https://www.commsmuseum.co.uk/dykes/navyfunerals/navyfunerals.htm

God Bless the Queen, Long Live the King

 

After a busy and pleasant day on a training session and then catching up with friends, I was saddened to read on Twitter that the Queen was ill. As the day went on it was clear that this was serious. 

Reports that her children and grandsons were heading to Scotland, it was very clear that this could be the moment many of us have dreaded for some time.

At around 1830 (6.30pm) as we all now know the news broke that Her Majesty the Queen had passed away. 

Of course, the Queen has been a figurehead not only of a nation and the commonwealth but of the Royal Navy, in which her late husband Prince Phillip served. 

The Royal Navy has a long-established relationship with many members of the Royal Family having served in it.

Indeed the Royal Navy wears the crown of the Monarch on much of their insignia, such as the officer's cap badge.

Cap badge with the Queen's Crown of the late Queen Elizabeth II.

Cap badge with a King's Crown of the late King George IV, the Queen's Father and King Charles III grandfather who passed away in 1952.

Royal Family Website