The United Kingdom put on the show of its life on September 19.
There is most definitely something about colourful and ornate uniforms marching in perfect synchronicity. My overseas friends were simply awe-struck. This was indeed Great Britain.
No one can deny it all made compulsive viewing. I know my household was glued to the TV for the majority of the day with a conveyor belt of drinks and snacks to sustain us throughout.
And not even the most hard-hearted of anti-monarchists could have been left unmoved by the sight of the royal children and grandchildren approaching the catafalque with such respect and dignity to stand vigil for their mother and grandmother. In those moments, the royal family were reduced to their essence – a grieving family, something to which we can all relate.
All that aside, (and I realise this might be controversial), I have been left with a keen sense of discomfort as the estimated cost of the state funeral which is being touted by the media as potentially running into the billions against the bleak backdrop of the energy crisis, an ever-nearing recession and the war in Ukraine.
The value put on the Imperial State Crown alone is between £3 billion and £5 billion. Think what those sale proceeds might do to help alleviate food poverty for those unable to put food on the table and heat their homes, having to choose one basic need over another. The pomp pageantry and circumstance displayed at the State funeral really did made me think of Marie Antoinette in her finery (purportedly) exclaiming “let them eat cake!”.
Yes, we all came together during the 10-day mourning period but at what cost? There is no doubt that HM Queen Elizabeth II was a superb monarch, devoting her life to the job and she most certainly deserved a state funeral, but, perhaps this wasn’t the right time for a big splashy send-off. Something pared down but still elegant might have sufficed.
I have a feeling history will not reflect kindly on this moment. Perhaps the establishment should have gauged the temperature a great deal better than they did.
Shelley-Anne Salisbury is a mediator, writer and the co-editor of Suburb News, themediationpod.net
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