The Queen is dead. Long Live the King! – By Aubrey Joachim
Many of us were born in a country whose Head of State then was Queen Elizabeth II. Ceylon was still a fully-fledged member of the Commonwealth with a Governor General her resident representative in Colombo. In fact the Queen visited Ceylon the year I was born and many would have seen pictures of her Majesty visiting the Dalada Maligawa in Kandy. We now live in a country whose Head of State is still the British Monarch.
The British Monarchy has existed for over a 1200 years. During this period 61 monarchs have worn the crown. As head of the Commonwealth the Queen was connected to 54 independent nations 14 of whom still have the British Monarch as their Head of State. All of these countries were at some stage a part of the British Empire – the heydays of Rule Britannia. Ceylon had a close relationship to the British Monarchy for many years even after independence and many Sri Lankans have been recognised by the Monarchy. It is even said that Ceylon gems are in the British Monarch’s crown.
Even sporting connections between Ceylon and Britain have been forged through the institution of the monarchy – the Commonwealth. At the first Commonwealth Games in 1938 held in Sydney Barney Henricus won a Gold medal in boxing and in the 1950 games in Auckland Ceylon’s Duncan White won Gold in the 400 yard hurdles missing the world record by .3 of a second. Ceylon – and now Sri Lanka has participated in all but 3 Commonwealth Games and won a total of 24 medals most recently a few months ago.
Queen Elizabeth the 2nd became the Queen of Britain in 1953 at the age of 26. Her reign lasted 70 years and at the time of her death on September 8th, 2022 she was the longest reigning monarch in the world. Her Platinum jubilee was celebrated just a few months ago. She was the patron of some 600 charities around the world.
Queen Elizabeth loved to meet with people and visited over 100 countries during her reign. Each year during summer she would have tea parties in the gardens of Buckingham Palace to which selected individuals were invited. In 2009 as the Global President of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) – a British professional body incorporated by Royal Charter, I along with my wife was invited to, and had the honour of attending the Queen’s Garden party at the grounds of Buckingham Palace. Over cake, sandwiches and tea the Queen attired in a daffodil yellow dress mixed and mingled with her guests in her own calm and genteel manner. I am sure I was not the first and I certainly may not have been the last but that event will stand out in my mind as a day to remember.
The 73 year old eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II will ascend the throne as King Charles the third.
It can be said that the second Elizabethan era has ended. The Queen is dead. Long live the King!
