Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Queen’s funeral: Nothing has been left to chance

Queen’s funeral: Nothing has been left to chance

Public mourning for the end of Britain’s Elizabethan age aims to steady an unnerved nation.

The Virgin Queen, Elizabeth I, died on March 24, 1603, ending the first Elizabethan age, a monumental era in England’s history. Her reign of 44 years and four months “a far greater part of a man’s age,” a contemporary noted.

Her lead coffin was conveyed along the Thames by night, on a torchlit barge from Richmond Palace to Whitehall, where she lay in state for a month. And with a funeral that saw her coffin carried from Whitehall to Westminster Abbey on a hearse drawn by horses, cloaked with black velvet and accompanied by six knights and a party of the most powerful peers of the realm, nothing was left to chance.

Of the funeral, Tudor chronicler John Stow wrote: “Westminster was surcharged with multitudes of all sorts of people in their streets, houses, windows, leads and gutters, that came out to see the obsequy, and when they beheld her statue lying upon the coffin, there was such a general sighing, groaning and weeping as the like hath not been seen or known in the memory of man.”

Today, nothing has been left to chance for Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral next week either. And the public mourning for the end of Britain’s second Elizabethan age aims to steady an unnerved nation.

Britain’s longest-reigning monarch was intimately involved in the meticulous planning of the event that will likely transfix not only Britain but a good part of the world, with heads of state and government flying in from all over to attend — all except Russian President Vladimir Putin.

And as with any funeral, for commoner or royal, this one is meant to make people feel uplifted, confident and hopeful rather than despondent and fearful — an event aiming for the emotional balance of mournful and celebratory.

But Elizabeth II leaves behind a nation that was severely disoriented and fractured even before her death, a nation more disunited than united, with the specter of a possible breakup of the Union hanging over it amid the economic setbacks dealt by the pandemic and the current energy squeeze. Brexit has added to the bafflement, despite the ebullient confidence of its ardent backers, and the death of the long-serving monarch has only furthered the anxiety and identity crisis.

As Labour Party leader Keir Starmer observed last week, Elizabeth II seemed “the still point in a turning world.”

The first Elizabethan age had opened with hope and promise — a lot of which was fulfilled — but as it concluded, the country was similarly beset by challenges and confusion. In her last decade of life, the aging and increasingly depressed Queen Elizabeth I had to contend with mounting conflict in Ireland, famine and severe food shortages in England, as well as an uprising within her own court, ending with her signing the death warrant of her beloved Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex.

That sense of foreboding continued well into the reign of King James, with the Union of the two kingdoms forcing both the English and the Scots “to confront a hard set of questions about their identities,” as noted by literary historian James Shapiro.

The tomb of Queen Elizabeth I lies in Westminster Abbey in London, England


King James’ coronation was thus carefully planned with the aim of consolidating the Union of England, and despite his aversion to being in the public eye, the new king was alert to how monarchy is shaped and reinforced by public spectacle and performance. For his ceremonial entrance into London, which boasted only 40 Scottish residents before his arrival, he enlisted England’s great dramatists, Shakespeare, Ben Jonson, Thomas Middleton, et al.

It was a public spectacle that emphasized unity, with James concluding a lengthy address to parliament, saying: “What God hath conjoined, let no man separate. I am the husband, and all the whole isle is my lawful wife. I am the head, and it is my body. I am the shepherd, and it is my flock.”

After his long apprenticeship, Britain’s King Charles III is equally aware of the power and symbolism of such pomp and circumstance, and how performance shapes public attitudes toward not only monarchy but the nation too.

Ahead of his mother’s funeral — and his own coronation — the new monarch is kicking off the Carolean age with an eye to boosting the unity of Britain’s four nations, with a tour and memorial events in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

National mourning isn’t just to be London-centric or English-focused, far from it. Queen Elizabeth’s funeral will symbolically play up all four nations’ importance to each other, and the British monarchy’s role in stitching together the tapestry of the United Kingdom over centuries, I am told by a member of the Royal Household.

It will also highlight the significance of the Commonwealth, a voluntary association that grew under the queen’s watch from just a handful of countries to 54.

It’s hard not to conclude that the queen had always hoped, possibly even planned, to die in Scotland, at her beloved Balmoral — especially given the meticulous procession of her coffin, draped in the Royal Standard of Scotland and lamented by a bagpiper as it set off through rural Scotland to Edinburgh, and from there to London. It is a stately, solemn whistle-stop tour spanning the north to south of the British Isles’s main island, retracing the route of James I as he secured his throne.

Though following convention and declining to take sides, Queen Elizabeth II had apparently purred down the phone in 2014, when then Prime Minister David Cameron informed her that the Scots had voted to remain part of the U.K. after a hard-fought independence referendum. No doubt she would have been cheered to see some Scots clutching their Union Jacks as her cortege followed the course of the River Dee toward Edinburgh.

Yet, throughout much of the queen’s reign, the U.K. has struggled to find a settled role. Back in 1962, former American Secretary of State Dean Acheson noted in a speech — and to the anger of the British press: “Great Britain has lost an empire and has not yet found a role.” He suggested the country was confused about its future identity, focused on its “special relationship” with the United States one moment, then looking toward Europe or the Commonwealth to give it greater meaning and influence the next.

Now, as the U.K. grapples with the challenge of Scottish nationalism, the queen’s death doesn’t offer any answers to questions about Britain’s place in the world. Whether her passing, and how it is being marked, will assist in keeping Scotland inside the U.K., only time will tell.

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Cardinal Robert Prevost Elected as Pope Leo XIV, Marking a Historic Papacy
India-Pakistan conflict may be first test for Chinese military tech
Bill Gates Announces Plan to Wind Down Philanthropic Foundation and Disperse Wealth
Historic Papal Conclave Set to Commence in Rome
“Trump Supporter” Aims to Bring a MAGA-Style Shift to Romania
Common Sense Returns to Britain's Legal System: UK Supreme Court Declares a Woman Is… a Woman
EU Hits TikTok with €530 Million Fine Over China Data Transfers
Beijing Says U.S. Is ‘Reaching Out’ for Tariff Talks Amid Soaring Trade Tensions
Warren Buffett to Step Down as Berkshire CEO After Nearly 60 Years
Trump Shares AI-Generated Image of Himself as… Pope, Prompting Outrage Reaction
Germany's Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party has now been officially labeled “right-wing extremist” by the federal office for the so-called “protection of the constitution.”
Amazon Launches Satellite Internet Service Amidst Competition with SpaceX
Transformative Changes in Women's Wrestling: The Rise of WWE Superstars
The Rush to the White Gold: Global Investment Surge in Natural Hydrogen Exploration
This is a day in Spain without electricity and internet
Trump Administration Removes National Security Adviser Mike Waltz Amid Signal Chat Controversy
U.S. Economy Shrink in Trump’s First Quarter as Tariff Policy Raises Questions
U.S. and Ukraine Poised to Sign Strategic Critical Minerals Deal Amid Geopolitical Shifts
Spain Restores Power After Unprecedented Nationwide Blackout
Liverpool Clinches Record-Equalling 20th English League Title Under Arne Slot
How do you fix this culture?
Corrupted from Within: How Deep State Power and Unelected Judges Hijacked Democracy Against the Will of the People
President Trump and Ukrainian President Zelensky just held an impromptu discussion on the sidelines of Pope Francis' funeral in Rome.
World Leaders Gather in Rome for Pope Francis's Funeral
Pope Francis Laid to Rest in Rome as World Leaders Attend Funeral
Not Child’s Play: How Competitive Gaming Became a Global Economic Empire
California Surpasses Japan to Become the World’s Fourth-Largest Economy
Peter Navarro: The Man Behind Trump’s Tariff Madness
Former U.S. Congressman George Santos sentenced to eighty-seven months for wide-ranging fraud
Pope Francis: head of the Catholic church who pushed for social and economic justice
China do not pay these tariffs - you pay it. This is new 145% tax you pay to the US government.
Cultural Battles in the Vatican: The Candidates in the Battle for the Holy See and Pope Francis's Testament
Global Leaders Pay Tribute to Pope Francis Following His Death
Wild Chimpanzees Observed Bonding Over Alcoholic Fruit
Greek Christians Celebrate Easter in Thessaloníki
US Federal Reserve Chair Issues Warning on Tariff Impact
China, China, China!
Pope Francis Makes Brief Appearance at Easter Sunday Mass
Saudi Arabia Offers Max Verstappen Unprecedented Deal to Join Aston Martin
Global Pistachio Shortage Amid Rising Demand for 'Dubai Chocolate'
Trump is assembling a coalition of Western leaders aligned with the MAGA vision, strengthening a unified front for global change
IMF Predicts No Global Recession Amid Trade Tensions
Alphabet Faces Antitrust Setbacks as Federal Judges Rule Against Google
US Billionaires Call for Higher Taxes, but Proposed 'Millionaires Tax' May Not Achieve Desired Outcome
This is Vienna, Austria in 2025.
Designed in US, made in China: Why Apple is stuck in tariff tussle
Boeing Jet Returns to US from China Amid Tariff War
US Sets Deadline for Russia-Ukraine Peace Deal Brokerage
Italy Introduces 'Sex Rooms' in Prisons for Inmates
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni Meets with Donald Trump to Discuss EU-US Trade Tensions
×