Why is there such a sense of grief at the death of the Queen – not just in Great Britain but also throughout the Commonwealth? And is there anything we have learnt over the past few days from the reactions to the monarch’s death?

Let’s look at why we are so grief-stricken. During her 70 years on the throne, there have been 16 Australian prime ministers, 15 British prime ministers, 14 American presidents, 10 French presidents and seven Popes. The Vietnam war came and went, the Cold War raged, the Soviet Union collapsed, and the Arab Spring turned to winter. A lot happened!

Throughout all that upheaval, there was only one Queen. She was a symbol of constancy, continuity and stability. A strong society is connected to its past, thrives during the present and is able to plan the future. The Queen was able to help not just Britain but also Australia achieve that.

This is the age of ephemeral and superficial celebrity. Someone rises and becomes a star in politics, in the media, in the arts or in sport. They’re there for a while, celebrated and sometimes loved and then they disappear. But the Queen was there, year in and year out.

READ MORE:

https://www.afr.com/world/europe/there-was-much-more-to-the-queen-than-longevity-20220908-p5bgcy

SEE ALSO:

GUSNOTE: UNLIKE PRIME MINISTERS AND PRESIDENTS, THE QUEEN COULD NOT BE VOTED OUT — AND HER GALA PERFORMANCES WERE PERFORMED BY OTHERS: THE EPHEMERAL AND SUPERFICIAL CELEBRITIES... HAD SHE BEEN SINGING ON STAGE AT BRITAIN'S GOT TALENT, SHE WOULD HAVE BEEN BOOTED OFF THE STAGE.

AND JULIAN ASSANGE IS STILL IN PRISON......