She has class. Rare these days. Rarer still with her passing.
Much as I think she was the best one in the whole royal family, she was old and everyone was expecting the end sooner or later. I actually don’t feel too sad. Keep in mind, she was pretty healthy right up until the end. Sure, she’d had some illnesses recently (pneumonia at Christmas, I think), but she was still getting around and had ALL her faculties.
And she died peacefully in her sleep.
What a great innings. Not just long, but fruitful. RIP
Much as I am saddened at her passing, in a way I am interested to see the funeral. The British have a way of putting on quite the display with such things, complete with fancy robes and horses and heraldic banners (and how often does one get a chance to see the Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports personal standard?). In a way, it seems a very fitting way to remember a woman whose life was the very model of British pomp and circumstance.
She was a woman of enourmous dignity and courage.
I can only imagine that Queen Elizabeth II must be feeling incredibly alone at this time, having lost her sister and mother so close together.
RIP ma’am. You will be missed.
D’oh! I’m so stupid-I mentioned the Queen Victoria thing twice. Stupid stupid STUPID GUIN!!!
Anyhoo, I just keep thinking that she’s with Margaret and her “Bertie” now.
My deepest condolences to the Empire. She will be missed.
My condolences to our friends on the other side of the Atlantic. I know little to nothing about the British Royals, but I understand that the Queen Mum was well-loved. It seems that she led a good life, and I’m glad (for her sake) that her end seemed to be peaceful and dignified.
I hope this isn’t inappropriate, but I have a question: In reading a news report today, they gave the Queen Mum’s full title as “Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother.” (I never knew her name before). Wouldn’t she have been Queen Elizabeth II, and the current monarch would be Queen Elizabeth III? I think I must be misunderstanding the way the titles work.
Even though I’m a mere 15 year old Canadian who wasn’t alive for even a fifth of her life, I was slightly saddened when I heard the news from my mother.
Her title of Queen is actually Queen consort (while her husband was alive) or Dowager Queen (after he died). She was never the actual monarch - just married to the monarch, which means that she doesn’t count in the whole numbering scheme.
Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, was what is known as a Queen Consort, meaning that her husband was the actual monarch. Queen Elizabeth II is a Queen Regnant, meaning she herself is the monarch. Queens Consort don’t get numbers, Queens Regnant do. So Queen Elizabeth II is the second Queen Regnant (in the UK) with the name Elizabeth, and it doesn’t matter how many Queens Consort have had that name in the meantime.
My condolences to the British Royal Family and their admirers. This is not shaping up to be a good year for them, with the loss of first Princess Margaret and then their matriarch…
Just to add more information than is really necessary (this is the Straight Dope, after all), I feel compelled to point out that she she is the first Queen of the UK named Elizabeth. The previous one was merely Queen of England. The convention is to refer to UK monarchs using the higher number between the English and Scottish lineages. Thus, if the next king was named James, his number would be eight (I think), as the last James was King James VII of Scotland (who was also King James II of England at the same time).
[continuing hijack]
Actually, waterj2, the current queen is still the second Queen of England named “Elizabeth,” there being no title of “Queen of the UK.” Also, if there were another King James, it’s likely that he would be referred to by most as “King James III.” Few people outside of Scotland or the ivory towers of academia refer to the previous King Jameses as “King James VI and I” and “King James VII and II.”
[/hijack]
One small point concerning the Royal Family and the blitz :- although they occupied Buckingham Palace during the daytime they spent the nights (when most of the air-raids took place) twenty miles away in the safety of Windsor Castle.
I’m British, and I’m not sad, nor indeed is anyone else I know. Frankly I don’t care. An old lady died. Old ladies dying is a sad but inevitable phenomenon.
Nit-pick prt2 
The legislation (or was it just bad news from Labours POV) had alreday happened. The spin doctor just thought it would be à good idea to release it on Sept.11/12 as it would be buried under the 9/11 news.
The country of which she is queen is not called England, but the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, so of course there would be a title “Queen of the UK,” or words to that effect. To the extent that I recall, her official title in the UK is something along the lines of “by the grace of God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and of her other Dominions and Realms, queen, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith.” The Queen Mum had a somewhat different styling, and also had the title “Empress of India” tossed in there at the end, until 1948 at least.
[/quote]
Also, if there were another King James, it’s likely that he would be referred to by most as “King James III.” Few people outside of Scotland or the ivory towers of academia refer to the previous King Jameses as “King James VI and I” and “King James VII and II.”
[/hijack]
[/QUOTE]
I think that would annoy a number of Scottish people who would see it as implying that the English lineage is more legitimate. Which is what I believe happened when they realized that giving Elizabeth the number 2 did just that. So it was decided that to make everyone happy, confuse the issue as little as possible, and not require any renumbering of monarchs, they would use whichever number was higher.
actually, no.
No offence, but her death is only going to inflict mock sadness across the UK’s media on the people. get ready for the commemorative plates and the empty “Gawd bless ya, ma’am” from people who didnt give a shit about her when she was alive.
why should her death be of any more importance than any other pensionwer who died? The fact she lived so long is purely by the fact the was more priveleged and had acess to better healthcare than any other person in the UK. She did nothing of any great relevance, aside from lending her name to a charity or two. So if you are going to mark her death, mark the death of all the other pensioners that die who didnt have access to virtually unlimited health care, life long pampering or a full crew of servants to look after their every whim.
I’m sorry, but that is how I feel.
I knew it would probably happen but now it has. No, not the Queen Mother’s death. She was after all 101. But, now that she has passed on, there’s a fax from Fred Phelps about how “The Queen Mother is in Hell!”
Just what I needed to test the limits of my tolerance on Easter. Grrrrr.
I know I’m going to regret this, but, uh…
What “sin” does Phelps figure the Queen Mother was guilty of, specifically? Does his version of Gawd condemn people for drinking gin and betting on horses, or does he know of a more sinister, hidden side to the old gal? :rolleyes: