Royal round-up

Sadness at passing of The Queen

‘May flights of Angels sing thee to thy rest,’ said the visibly grief-stricken new king, Charles III, on September 8, in a tribute to his ‘darling Mama’, Queen Elizabeth who had died that afternoon. The quote, from Shakespeare’s Hamlet, moved many to tears, coming as it did on the back of the news that the Queen, the longestserving British monarch of all time, had died, peacefully and with members of her family around her, at the place she called her favourite home, Balmoral Castle. After hours of speculation over an unusually-worded announcement from Buckingham Palace about concerns over her health, the news then came that the Queen had died. Immediately wall-to-wall coverage filled TV screens and poured from radios. People gathered silently at Balmoral, at Buckingham Palace, or wherever else they found solace or time to digest the news. It was always going to happen, everyone knew that, but surely not then, surely not so suddenly? After all, her majesty had been seen smiling, if frail, and twinkling of eye on the news just two days before when she met the new Prime Minister, Liz Truss. Queen Elizabeth II was, and still is, arguably the most instantly-recognisable human on the planet. Her image, if not her actual royal personage, has been seen by countless people and at least nine in every 10 living human beings have never known a British monarch other than her. This familiarity and longevity, coupled with the airs of decency and integrity that exude from her, makes even those who have never met nor seen the Queen in real life, feel that they know her or have a connection with her. Whenever she visited Dorset and people did get near her, what they discovered was an engaged, modest and naturally-friendly woman. At Maiden Castle in 1952, she broke protocol to shake the hand of a shepherd. In 1997 while visiting Bovington Tank Museum as Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal Tank Regiment and to observe soldiers training, she wound up riding in a 1920s Rolls Royce armoured car - while dressed in a daffodil yellow coat and hat ensemble. In 2008 at Wimborne’s Queen Elizabeth School to mark 500 years of free education in the town, she spoke to staff and pupils, signed a picture of herself and was genuinely fascinated by a scientific experiment children were undertaking. Of the Queen’s death, headteacher Katie

Boyes said: “It is with great sadness that we join together with the nation and the world in mourning the death of Her late Majesty The Queen, someone who is deeply rooted in the history of our school. “As a school, we have taken time to remember and reflect. King Charles and the royal family are in all of our thoughts and prayers.” After being warmly welcomed by the public in Poundbury in 2016 and unveiling a bronze statue of her late mother in Queen Mother Square, she visited the pub, named after her accompanying daughter-in-law, the Duchess of Cornwall, where she left huddled dignitaries so that she could inspect the beer pumps. In the local Waitrose, she browsed the shelves and chatted and laughed with delighted staff and Dorset suppliers. Waitrose’s marketing director at the time said: “It was lovely and a delightful experience... such an honour. “The Queen was fascinated to talk with the dairy farmers and the local producers.” Her legacy is vast, but its foundations were laid when she was just 21 and made the public a solemn promise: “I declare that my whole life, whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service.” A promise that she kept for more than 70 years. So, while the new king and the new Carolean era are welcomed in, Elizabeth II, a unique queen for all people, will remain a huge part of the global public psyche and one of the most memorable rulers in our country’s monarchical history.

by Lorraine Gibson

ROYAL VISITS: Top, Her Majesty at Bovington Tank Museum and at Wimborne’s QE School. Above, The Queen at Christchurch Priory in 1966. Opposite top: Triplet cheer for Bertie, Eric and Louis Litchfield-Brown at the Wimborne Proclamation. Inset, A picture of the late Queen and the new King Charles III in Blandford Corn Exchange. Bottom, the Wimborne Proclamation

Picture: TOM SCRASE

but there’s much to celebrate too

In keeping with the rules of accession, it was a case of ‘the Queen is dead, long live the King’ as Prince Charles immediately and seamlessly became our new monarch. The monarchical edict states that a new sovereign succeeds to the throne as soon as his or her predecessor dies and so, the ancient line of sovereignty continues, barely interrupted, just as the late Queen Elizabeth II intended. A long-standing tradition, rather than an actual law, the Proclamation of the Accession harks back to times when news of great import had to be publicly, and often swiftly, delivered. The warm and enthusiastic public response to the newly-forged King Charles III arriving at a Buckingham Palace swathed in flowers and tributes to his late mother was a sign of things to come, and on Sunday, September 11, people gathered in villages, towns and cities across the land to officially hear the news they already knew. In Wimborne Minster right after the Proclamation service, Mayor Carol Butter was literally left holding the baby, as was Cllr Diann March and Town Crier, Chris Brown, when they cradled a set of new-born triplet boys who’d brought their parents along to witness the historic event. Babies Bertie, Eric and Louis LitchfieldBrown were joined by several hundred people who congregated round the Minster Green and in the High Street to hear the Proclamation of the King. The Minster’s rector, the Revd Canon Andrew Rowland, advised all gathered on what would take place and the Town Crier and Mayor’s Sergeant, Chris Brown then called for silence to allow the mayor to make the announcement. This was followed by the reading of the Proclamation, concluding with God Save the King and ‘three cheers for His Majesty The King’ before the Wimborne Militia fired a salute. In Blandford, floral tributes for the late Queen were placed against the hoarding outside the Parish Church in the churchyard Field of Remembrance and crowds mustered in the Market Place where Mayor Colin Stevens read the Proclamation alongside RBL Standard Bearer Tony Lucas, deputy Mace

Bearer James Watling, and other town dignitaries. Rob Chalkley then led a rendition of God Save the King.

About 400 people from across the

BCP council conurbation gathered in Bournemouth for what many of them described as ‘an important moment in history,’ from the front of Bournemouth’s Civic Centre.

Notables, led by His Majesty’s Lord

Lieutenant of Dorset, the High Sheriff of Dorset, included BCP Council dignitaries. The chairman, Councillor Nigel Hedges, read the proclamation. Proceedings began with the Dolphin Marching band, with some members of the audience singing along. The Lord Lieutenant reminded attendees that, although this was a sad time following the passing of the Queen, they were there to celebrate and proclaim the ascension of the new King Charles III. Once the proclamation had been read, the national anthem was sung, followed by a lone bugler who blew a fanfare and a rousing ‘God Save the King’ was repeated by the crowd who then sang the national anthem and gave three cheers.

by Lorraine Gibson

Picture: TOM SCRASE