Edinburgh
and London, September, 2022. The first has been sombre and restrained, the
second has been brighter. The one has welcomed the arrival of the late Queen’s
mortal remains to lie in state before heading south. The other filled with
people looking excitedly for a glimpse of the new King as he takes up the
responsibilities and burdens as head of state, even while grieving the loss of
his mother. So many emotions, and a number of contrasts.
As so many
have noted in these days, Queen Elizabeth II was (as we now have to get used to
saying) a remarkable woman and a remarkable sovereign. Having lived one of the
most scrutinized of lives, she is no less scrutinized in death. From the
announcement of her passing at around 6.30pm on Thursday 8th September,
cameras were trained on the gates of Balmoral (where she died), as well as following
all the intricate actions that seamlessly accomplish as well as evidence the
succession. On Sunday the coffin containing her remains, draped in the Scottish
Royal Standard, was driven from Balmoral to Edinburgh, with a helicopter filming
from above. This had the added benefit of demonstrating again the impact the
Queen’s death has had on so many. Throughout even relatively sparsely populated
sections of the Scottish countryside, ordinary folk made their way to stand by
the side of the road and pay their respects. By the time the cortege reached
Edinburgh, where the route included the Royal Mile, ending in Holyrood Palace,
the crowds were six or seven deep on both sides of the road. The quiet,
respectful murmur of the crowd was interrupted by a wave of equally respectful applause.
Scotland,
it is claimed, is unsure of its place in the state of which the Queen was head.
She had made no secret of her love for Balmoral and its setting. It was where
she spent her last days on earth. Just last week, in the first time for a long
time, a departing Prime Minister had to make his way there to resign, and the
newly elected leader of the largest party in the Commons had to make her way
there to be offered the position. The Queen’s relationship with the locals
around Balmoral was a warm one, and they and many others made their way to
Balmoral’s gates to make their feelings clear. It is notable that the Queen
rose so high above the political arguments over independence. Of course she
inherited the crown of Scotland by right, independent of her status in the rest
of the United Kingdom. She was a direct descendant of James VI. But given the
level of political argument over Scotland’s status, one referendum behind us
and perhaps another one to come, the affection in which she was held by Scots was
amply demonstrated by the crowds. There will be many a Scots tear shed when,
shortly, she leaves Scotland for the last time. Whether her departure will mark
a turn to a republican frame of mind remains to be seen.
Meanwhile, over
the weekend, the events that confirm the accession of the new King continued to
unfold back in London. For the first time we were all able to see the meeting
of the Privy Council as an Accession Council on Saturday. Over previous
centuries this had only been witnessed by Privy Councillors themselves, and then
only by relatively few. Now, millions of us could observe the inner workings of
the British constitution. Again Scotland loomed large. King Charles III will
take a number of oaths at the time of his coronation. But long before that he
has already taken an oath to “inviolably maintain and preserve the settlement
of the true protestant religion as established by the laws made in Scotland”.
This is part of the constitutional settlement that brought about Union in 1707.
In what is seemingly becoming a secular state, this must have bemused many of
his subjects, including Presbyterians back in Scotland who seem to have little
notion of what the “true protestant religion” actually is.
Today (Monday)
Edinburgh witnessed the solemn sight of the Queen's coffin, with the Royal Family
walking close by, being taken from the Palace of Holyrood, to lie in St Giles
Cathedral. The new King joined his grieving family there having completed another
key ceremonial task back in London. Both the Lords and the Commons have met to
allow their members to pay tribute to the Queen. All of the speeches were
personal, many of them were moving. One thing that was striking was the number
who highlighted the Queen’s personal faith in Christ. While this has been
observed by all, it is clearly more meaningful and personal for some. Those who
were not just subjects of Her Majesty, but fellow believers with her, were able
to bring a special focus to her faith and witness pointing out that hers was no
mere formal or official religion. She bore a personal commitment to a King
higher than herself; this was what had liberated her to perform her duties in the
way that she did. I have no way of knowing the extent to which these speeches,
just a small subset of so many being made across the world, will have an impact
on the King. But today all of Parliament, along with the King and his Queen Consort,
gathered in Westminster Hall to hear the Speakers of both Commons and Lords
remember the Queen and express condolences to the King and the Royal Family for
their loss. It was a reminder of both the public and personal. We have all lost
a Queen; Charles has lost a mother.
Then the
King was on his way to Edinburgh from London for another procession, more ceremony,
further words of remembrance and condolence. Then the Queens coffin will leave
Scotland for good, and head to London to lie in state before the funeral next
week. The divided focus on two cities, will again be concentrated in one place.
The past will give way to the future. There are new memories to be made, and a
new reign will unfold. But even in an age of rampant materialism and
naturalism, the usually unseen hold of the unseen has been laid bare. Thousands,
if not hundreds of thousands, moved to tears by the death of someone who was inevitably
remote from most, bereaved by the loss of a near stranger. And those invisible
cords of history that makes a nation out of a people, have been revealed for
the strength that they provide even if they are poorly understood and appreciated.
A whole hidden world revealed, if only temporally.
It turns
out there more to life than meets the eye. We’ll all be praying God save the
King, as He surely did his mother.
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