You caught the vision in your twenties
In crackling black and white Ilford film
You would serve God and country
For as long as you lived
A lot longer than we expected
70 years on a throne
Still smiling right up to the end
Greeting the next Prime Minister
You kept all the rules
Except when it came to love
A poor boy, leaving Cyprus in an orange crate
But you just knew – and 73 years later, you were proved right
Pushed into power
Through a strange twist of fate:
Marriage to a divorcee
And lung cancer
A working mother
You learnt to drive and repair vehicles in the war
Always starting the day with the red briefcase
You never ate the bread of idleness
Fifteen PMs and 13 Presidents later
Your diplomacy on the global stage
Has been discreet
No biography of secrets and gossip
You wore all those bright colours
Not for you the demure pastel shades of establishment:
‘I have to be seen to be believed’
We believed you
The rock, the constant
In a world of continual change
At the eye of the hurricane
Calm and composed
But you enjoyed being Queen
Going to out-of-the-way libraries, parks, offices, countries
No one else bothered with
To meet your people
We loved your humour
Whether it was marmalade sandwiches in your handbag
Or parachuting with Bond
Into the Olympic stadium
You were a servant
And signed your name that way, too
Humble, decent, that sense of duty
Always close by
The weight of the crown
(The one you wore at breakfasts before your coronation to get used to it)
You wore it lightly
Despite the pressure, the annus horribilis
Your faith was the foundation
Highlighted in Christmas speeches
In shaking the hand of Martin McGuinness
The best sermon on reconciliation we ever heard
You have gone home now
But will live on in our memory
Queen of our hearts
Your example ringing down the halls of time
Ironically, the best summary
Was by a cartoon character
Paddington Bear spoke for all of us when he said:
‘Thank you, Ma’am. For everything.’
Peter Barrett
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