London Bridge has Fallen...
David Holland MBA Your Business Co-Pilot
I help Business Owners & Executives build the Business and Lifestyle they always dreamed of🚀 Author, Speaker, Digger of Holes, Renovator of Cottages, Drummer, Husband to The Blonde One, Dad and Dog Person.
The Queen was a constant presence in our lives - the only Monarch I knew, with me as a child, adolescent, and adult...
As a youngster growing up in the suburbs of Birmingham, there was a red post box just up the road - it had the letters "E II R" on it, underneath a Crown...
My Grandad had a couple of Albums containing stamps from all around the world, on a rainy Saturday he'd take me through all the different countries explaining what Magyar Posta meant and why the Queen appeared on so many of them...
In my dad's shop from the age of around 5, my job was to sweep up, boil the beetroot and count the coins we'd received.
Back then we'd just had the introduction of the 10 New Pence Piece in anticipation of full decimalisation in 1971 - and guess who's image was on the coins - and of course notes...?
That's right The Queen...
The Queen was everywhere, from the Queen's Speech on Christmas Day to Jubilee Mugs in 1977 and the Trooping of the Colour...
My first job was working for the UK MoD - I can tell you what I was doing but I'd have to kill you afterward - so technically she was my first Boss too...
Everything I knew had the Crown on it - even the soap in the washrooms...
As I grew up, got married, had the boys, and developed my career, she was always there, showing up in the media, traveling, speaking, and just being a positive part of our lives...
In 1992 on the 40th anniversary of her succession and she explained about her Annus Horribilis - I think we all felt for her...
I don't think she ever put a foot wrong, she was a consistent presence of balance, calm, and serene predictability...
I never got to meet her, but I didn't need to, she was just "there", almost in the background giving us a gentle rhythmic theme tune to our busy lives that we could rely upon to be always there, always the same, always only able to do good...
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On my travels throughout the world, there are still echoes of Empire, from the Bahamas to South Africa and Australia she was there in spirit...
Probably, we just took her for granted, like Yorkshire Pudding, Marmite, and Banks' Mild - they were all just part of the fabric of our lives - not in a controlling way, but in a consistent and comforting way...
Whatever happened in the world - she was always there...
I guess we all had our own relationship with the Queen, she meant different things to different people. To me she was like a reliable comfort blanket, whatever happened, she'd be there just being The Queen...
So on Thursday afternoon last week as we sat in the kitchen of the cottage in France, we saw the news updates moving towards the announcement that London Bridge had fallen - the Queen had died...
Of course, I didn't think it would affect me, but it did - I was shocked and saddened and I confess to shedding a couple of tears too...
Of course, I was sad for her and her family on a personal level...
But I think it was more to do with the realisation that someone that had been a significant part of my life had gone - and the safe secure theme tune would change...
We listened to our new King Charles III make his speech and it was moving and perfectly hit the right tone and message...
But he's not the Queen...
I don't know what will happen to the Monarchy in the future, I sense it will change.
But for now, Rest In Peace Ma'am...
God Save the King...
I help professionals, leaders, entrepreneurs - and their teams - uncover the root of challenges, custom-craft solutions & thrive | Coach (EIA), Team Coach (ITCA), Mediator, Author | Luxembourg & online | EN DE FR LU
2yYes, David, it can be destabilizing when such a presence in our lives leaves us. Get ready to experience the stages à la Kübler-Ross... Great post, thank you.
Member Services Assistant Costco Leeds 👍🏻
2yAs usual David, a Fabulous Post and being an EX-Numismatist I can relate to your story 💯% Thank you and keep up the great work ‼ Barry
Multilingual Swiss-knife (IT) project manager with a business analysis acumen. Give me your projects, I'll give you peace of mind. Based in Bruges, Belgium, open to further relocation in Benelux and Nordics.
2yWithout having anything to do with britishness or even commonwealthishness, I must admit I had a huge respect for the way she was there, doing her job as she so long ago promised she would do. In a world of social and political hiccups "as the sole certitude", she maintained the wheel straight on the road and kept her promise. I hardly know a couple of other people who, whatever strong the storm, stay there and keep doing what they once promised. May her example make us cogitate on engagement, service, responsability. She was all of this and she should be thanked and remembered.
🚀 I help businesses attract and retain global talents 🌍 by simplifying Immigration & Relocation Processes ✈️ so they can focus on growing their core business 💼
2yGreat post David, I thought she was eternal and has been part of my life as a child with stories from my Grand-Mother having had the chance to meet her on 2-3 occasions during and after the war.
Creating Excel solutions to take the grind out of boring and repetitive jobs giving you time to do more interesting stuff
2yAs always, you have summed it up perfectly David. I was also surprised at how much her passing has upset me. As well as understanding how painful such a loss is for the family, it is that "end of an era" feeling that something that's been a constant comfort for my whole life has suddenly gone. RIP our Queen.