How the death of Elizabeth II has affected Britain
The crowds of mourners aren’t a good guide
Half a dozen middle-aged and old women are loitering after the end of an Anglican church service in Steeple Bumpstead, a village in Essex. All of them are feeling rather shaky. They have just sung the national anthem, with the unfamiliar line “God save the king,” and it brought them up short. Besides, the death of Queen Elizabeth II has changed Britain in some way, says Edna Jackson: “There’s something floating around in the ether that’s completely different.”
In Edinburgh and London, the machinery of royal commemoration has clattered along, following plans worked out long before the queen’s death on September 8th. Amid much ceremony, her coffin has been transported to St Giles’ Cathedral in Edinburgh, then to Westminster Hall. Grieving Britons have arrived in London with flowers and food to sustain them as they queue to pay their respects. A few protesters have been unnecessarily hassled by the police.
This article appeared in the Britain section of the print edition under the headline "Something in the ether"
Britain September 17th 2022
From the September 17th 2022 edition
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