Until a month ago, for anyone born after 6 February 1952, HRH Elizabeth II was the only British monarch they'd known. Because of the reach of the former British Empire and the duration of her reign, it's been argued that Elizabeth was the most recognized person in the world. As Andrea and I watched the pomp and ceremony surrounding her state funeral, I was amazed at the sweep of history book-ended by her coronation and death.
The late queen was the British monarch for the terms of 15 English prime ministers and met 13 sitting US presidents (Johnson was the lone exception). Elizabeth was the UK's queen from post-WWII reconstruction, to "the Troubles" in Northern Ireland, through the economic doldrums of the '70s, to a post 9-11 world order.
For all the trappings of her office, by my observation, she was a very grounded individual. This character trait was perhaps instilled in her while she was a wartime princess. There's a tradition in the US military that the most accurate and actionable intel will come from Chiefs and Sergeants, your petty officer corps, and the truest measure of a person would come from former subordinates. I found this excerpt online from a former British staff officer.
I never met HM The Queen, but when I was a staff officer in 2009 was tasked with reviewing and rewriting the Operation OVERSTUDY plans, which detail how we would repatriate her body if she died overseas.
The existing plan was for her to be transported back in a BAe 146, a smart business jet operated by 32 The Royal Squadron. However, the repatriation of Princess Diana in 1997 had not gone smoothly due to difficulties in loading the coffin into the freight bay. Subsequent modifications to the aircraft had made access to the freight bay almost impossible.
With a requirement for the aircraft to be able to land at RAF Northolt, the only 2 options were to use a C130 or C17. The C130 was noisy and would impact the ceremonial aspects of her arrival at RAF Northolt, whereas the C17 was quieter and was, sadly, very familiar with the repatriation role from undertaking the repatriation of Service personnel who had died in Afghanistan.
A dress rehearsal at RAF Northolt proved that it would work, but the impact of changing from a smart-looking business jet to a more utilitarian C17 was fairly significant and so approval from the Palace for the change to our plans was sought.
The response that came back from HM The Queen was: 'If it's good enough for my boys, then it's good enough for me!'.
An incredible person who I am proud to have served. RIP Ma'am.
I'd like to think after preening over her Corgis and horses, Elizabeth sounds like she wouldn't have minded slumming it with regular folks. She'd step into her favorite speakeasy south of the river, order her favorite drink (gin and tonic), and maybe catch the evening's act with "horns blowin' that sound".
"Sultans of Swing" - Dire Straits
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