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It is a sad day today at the Red Cardinal nest.
Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth 11 passed away peacefully at her Summer home, Balmoral, in Scotland, aged 96.
During her remarkable reign of 70 years, and her entire lifetime of service, the Queen was distinguished by her grace, dignity, kindness and unwavering dedication to the monarchy and the British Commonwealth.
Many people have known no other monarch during their entire lives.
I have some small childhood memory of her coronation in 1953, and better memories of her Commonwealth tour in 1954, the first visit to Australian shores of a reigning monarch.
She brought to Australia the beautiful Coronation gown, and wore it to the Opening of Parliament in Canberra.
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At 96, the Queen's passing was not unexpected, yet it was a shock to us all. The Queen has been a constant in our lives, a reliable and calming figure, always there. I have been thinking back over my life, and how I perceived her along the way.
During her early reign, the Queen was a glamourous figure, when formal gowns, jewels and tiaras, were worn on many occasions.
Look at her tiny waist, and she had already borne her first two children. She is wearing the fringe tiara which she wore at her wedding, and which was later worn by Princess Anne and Princess Beatrice at their weddings.
Every inch a Queen, meeting Marilyn Monroe, then a Queen of Hollywood.
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| 1954 Australian tour |
Her Majesty visited Australia 16 times, and usually arrived wearing yellow, an acknowledgement of our National floral emblem, the Golden Wattle.
My parents brought we children to Brisbane to see the Queen during the 1954 tour. I remember her going past in yellow, with a little yellow hat. Was it the day of the above picture? Alas, I do not actually know.
Australian artist, Sir William Dargie, painted this portrait during the first tour.
The Queen wears her Wattle Dress, which featured throughout the tour.
An official gift to the Queen from Australia was a Wattle Brooch:
Featuring white and gold diamonds, the brooch has been worn on all subsequent tours, and sometimes in the UK.
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| Her Majesty escorted by Brisbane Lord Mayor, Alderman Roy Harvey, 1982. Many tours later, the Queen was here again in 1982, and the Red Cardinals were invited to a Civic Reception at City Hall. I was fortunate when she paused about a metre from us to speak to the person beside me. Her brooch is partly covered by the bouquet in this photo, but it astonished me with its large and brilliant diamonds. Her petal soft English complexion also was very appealing to we sun-kissed Queenslanders. .JPG) |
A Queen, a mother, a grandmother and a great-grandmother.
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Devotion to duty and a radiant smile, right to the end.
Farewell Your Majesty, may you rest in peace.
God Save the King.
This was a thoughtful post you have shared today, Patricia, in remembrance of Queen Elizabeth. The painting is pretty that the artist did, and it looks like she wore many yellow outfits throughout her life. You have a fond memory as a young child of seeing her wearing yellow when she visited Brisbane. I remember you showing us the replica of the brooch you have on one of your blog posts in the past. The photo of the little ones is precious.
ReplyDelete~Sheri
**September 8 is Mother Mary's birthday.
Thank you Sheri. An American photographer, Annie Leibovitz, took that wonderful photo of the Queen with the little ones. It is beautiful. The Queen was a great example for the world and will be missed very much, I think. Hope you are well.
DeleteDearest Patricia,
ReplyDeleteHoping you are doing better with your RSV now behind you I presume.
Queen Elizabeth was short in stature but looking very gracious in her younger years!
Not an easy life lived with also being the head of the Anglican Church.
Due to that, she did not attend the 2nd marriage of her son Charles...
May she R.I.P.
Hugs,
Mariette
Dear Mariette, Thank you for calling by. I had RSV a second time and had a long recovery but am much better now. It seems to me King Charles is a conciliatory person (he continues to extend an olive branch to Prince Harry). I wish him well in all his many duties and responsibilities. The Queen was so gracious, always. Loved her :) x
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DeleteLovely collection of photos. My family walked to Kingsford Smith Drive beside the Brisbane River in 1954 to wave when the Queen and Duke drove by from the airport. During later visits of the Queen to Brisbane we made sure to be somewhere to give her a wave. The best experience was about 50 metres from our house when the motorcade drove through some back streets to return to the Royal Yacht Britannia where they were staying to avoid closing too many streets to traffic in peak hour.
ReplyDeleteThank you, it was fun choosing photos, and also fun to see where you went in 1954. We were at what was later called Centenary Place in Wickham Street, and later that afternoon stood along the north bank of the Brisbane River near the William Jolly Bridge, and watched them drive along the underpass below us, on their way back to Government House. As well as the yellow outfit, I remember the Duke had a white panama hat in our Brisbane heat. Such good memories. I remember when Britannia came here too, and we went out in the streets that time as well.
DeleteYes, it truly is the end of one era, and the beginning of another. Lovely images of our Queen, whose loss we in Canada also mourn. The wattle brooch is indeed stunning.
ReplyDeleteI have noted that Canada has received many more royal tours than Australia - lucky you! My daughter recently gave me another brooch - a replica of the Queen's Maple Leaf brooch. It causes a lot of comment. And so we all mourn. I really liked the comments by the Canadian Prime Minister too.
DeleteIt was a shock when we heard that the Queen had passed. It was not unexpected but nevertheless it hit us quite hard…she was our monarch, a guiding light, a wonderful kind woman with wit, strength, courage, devoted to her role as Queen and one had a sense that she was very grounded and loved being a grandmother. Your post is a lovely tribute.
ReplyDeleteMay she Rest In Peace.
Bungalow Hostess
Dear Hostess, thank you for popping in. Yes, quite a shock when she looked so bright two days before. You are so right, a wonderful and talented woman, who worked all her life, right to the end. RIP.
DeleteDear Patricia - It is lovely to see you here again and I do hope that you are now feeling much better.
ReplyDeleteEven though we were all aware of her great age, the Queen's death has shocked not only here but all around the world.
Her strength of character and sense of duty was clearly shown when she welcoming Liz Truss as the new PM just two days before she died.
Sorry for some reason I have suddenly become an anonymous person here - Rosemary
ReplyDeleteDear Rosemary, how lovely to see you again. I don't know what Blogger is doing, but I hope it improves soon! We too were shocked by the sudden death of the Queen, and are only coming to terms with it as the days pass. I am watching the cars process through the beautiful Scottish countryside on her final journey. What a magnificent place it is, and no wonder she loved being there. I have had an exhausting few months, but Spring brings better health, and I am putting together photos to write a personal post soon. I do hope you are well.
DeleteThe world has lost another beautiful soul.
ReplyDeleteYes, it has. She is/was a saint.
DeleteHello my dear Friend! So nice to have you back in blogland. It truly is an end of an era. She lived a long life of service and I respect that so much. I love seeing all the old photos of her and the history you share. xo
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