Understanding the ceremonies & pageantry of Great Britain as the world is in mourning for Queen Elizabeth II
Many in America will not understand and appreciate the pageantry and ceremony that they are seeing taking place in Great Britain right now as we are in mourning for Queen Elizabeth II. It may all seem too much, extravagant, or a waste of resources. This just comes from a lack of knowledge.
Something you have to realize is that these rituals, traditions, and processes date back to times before the United States was even a Country (as of 2022 the US has only been a County for 246 years).
Some of our traditions date back over 1000 years. We are a nation rich in history and heritage.
These traditions and ceremonies are something the vast majority of the British, and those of the Commonwealth believe in, live by, and need in order to process. Many Countries have their customs and ceremonies, but none compare with what we British have preserved. We do these ceremonies very well.
Yes, it takes quite literally an Army to carry out these various services and “events”, but every one of the men and women you see have dedicated their lives in service to their Country and its Monarch. In turn, the Monarch dedicates their life, in service to the people and the Country.
Queen Elizabeth II spent over 70 years of her life serving her people. Imagine for a moment what you were doing at the age of 25. That’s the age she was when she took an oath to serve her Country for the rest of her life, and she did. This pageantry is how we as a people and Commonwealth honor and thank her for all she did.
She was there when we needed guidance and inspiration in tough times. Every Christmas during her speeches, she came into our homes to wish us well and give us hope for a New Year. She was human. She made mistakes and she asked for forgiveness. We are a people grieving the loss of not just a Queen, but a great, great woman that gave everything she had to us until her last breath.
You will see more ceremony and pageantry following September 19, the Queen’s state funeral, as King Charles III will be coronated. We will come out of our mourning and celebrate our new King. Queen Elizabeth II would want us to move forward. She would want us to support King Charles II while he reigns, and so we will. But she will forever remain in our hearts. The legacy she left behind will live on through the service of our new King and eventually William, the new Prince of Wales.
If you have any questions about “how things work” or the history of the monarchy, please feel free to reach out to me. I am by no means an expert. But I have studied the monarchy, its history, and traditions my entire life and would be happy to share the knowledge I have with you.
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