Royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams has said it will be a time of great reflection for the Firm as they remember the Queen’s “truly unique” legacy.
He told Express.co.uk: “It will be a sad anniversary for the Royal Family.
“A time for reflection and a time also to remember that, as we await the coronation of King Charles, who has had the longest period in history as Prince of Wales preparing to be King, we also mourn a monarch whose devotion to duty and selfless service made her truly unique. They will miss her very much.”
Shortly after her death Richard J Evans wrote in the New Statesman that her “calm and reassuring presence” helped to “cushion” the British public from the major shocks of the 20th century.
He explained her status as an international icon, saying: “She knew how to put people at their ease, leavening her conversation with wry humour.
“Keeping her private person carefully concealed from public view, she weathered the many scandals unleashed by members of her family, garnering more sympathy than blame.
“During her reign she spoke to hundreds of thousands of people, and had a knack of making everyone feel she was speaking to them personally, as indeed she was.”
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In his book Elizabeth: An Intimate Portrait author Gyles Brandreth recounted the final months of the Queen’s life as he admitted she knew her 96th birthday “may be her last”.
He wrote of her nostalgic mood at the time, saying: “Towards the end of her life, the Queen did not mind looking back.
“She took time to look back in a personal way earlier this year (2022), sitting looking at reels of old ‘home movies’ that she and her parents had shot over the years.”
The Queen said in her own words: “One of the joys of living a long life is watching one’s children, then grandchildren.”
“”We can’t be certain what lies ahead for them, but we should know enough to put them on the right path. We can do this if we have the good sense to learn from the experience of those who have gone before us.
“I have lived long enough to know that things never remain quite the same for very long. No one can make history stand still. Events change with startling speed.”
The royals and the rest of the country are now preparing for the Coronation of King Charles and Queen Consort Camilla in just a couple of weeks time, with Charles the oldest monarch to assume the British throne.
The King and Queen Consort will be crowned in front of around 2,000 guests at Westminster Abbey on May 6, with a whole programme of celebratory events planned for the bank holiday weekend.
