PERSONAL

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1,347

The Queen Is Dead

2 years ago363 words

How surreal.

I don't exactly care or really know all that much about the British monarchy, but I have lived in the UK for the majority of my life, so this is still weird news.

The US goes through new presidents every few years, but Elizabeth was queen since before my mother was born. The longest reigning monarch, I've heard her called on the news, which is likely playing on all channels now and which my parents have on loudly in the other room.

Weirdly, when the announcements were made, I was in the middle of reading ∞ this long post on Reddit ∞ about all the formalised procedures that'll be happening over the next 10 days. What I find especially odd is how her coffin will be on public display for days, and some 'VIPs' will have tickets to get slots to see it. Bizarre.

Also, the concept of 'the queen's coffin' feels like such a strange, difficult one to go over in my head.

It all just feels weird, like the End Of An Era, a big event that'll be written about in the history books... There's this heavy feeling of gravity, of a whole country directing their minds towards the same idea at once, though I don't personally know what to do with the feeling. I had the urge to at least message someone, but I've been having blocks related to interacting with others lately so I've written this instead.

It'll also be weird having a king!

Oh, and apparently there's a new prime minister now, too? I'm so disconnected from the Real World that I only have the vaguest of ideas about who it is; a woman, apparently? I know nothing about her - and my lack of interest in politics means I don't much care to read up about her - but I imagine reaching that kind of position only for the longest reigning monarch to die soon after might bring up feelings of the whole thing being cursed!

Anyway, I thought I should at least acknowledge this!