The Day the Queen Died - Davis Moubry

     It was a pleasant day in early September. The weather was in its transitional period from summer to fall and the morale of the country was high. On the 8th day of the month, I woke up with a pep in my step and the hope of a new day ahead of me. When I reached to turn off my alarm, I noticed a notification from my BBC app, something I rarely pay attention to, but this one caught my attention. I read the words carefully to make sure I wasn’t missing a beat. It read, “QUEEN ELIZABETH SENT TO HOSPITAL OVER HEALTH COMPLICATIONS.” My heart immediately sank into my stomach. I had never lived in England, or the United Kingdom for that matter, without her as the reigning monarch. As I got ready for work, all I could think about was what the country would do if she were to take her last breath. Would there be mass panic? Would people be rejoicing? I had no idea what to think of the situation. So, instead of continuing to stand there and think, I went about my day, as usual, pushing down the thoughts of a deceased monarch. By lunchtime at the office, the cubicles were bustling with conversation and conspiracies as to what the fate of her majesty may be. Colleagues started referencing distant friends who were “close to the royal family” and some making outlandish remarks about her condition. I tried to zone out and not focus on the he-said-she-said but the whole office was on edge. 

When I had about two hours left of my work day, and two hours left of listening to my coworkers mumble on about hypothetical nonsense, everyone went silent and turned to the television mounted on the wall of the office. We heard “A message from Buckingham Palace,” and everyone’s heart sank. This was followed by the unfamiliar words, “The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon. The King and Queen Consort will remain at Balmoral this evening and will return to London tomorrow." The once buzzing office went completely silent. There was no word from our boss or anyone in charge, but everyone just packed up their things and left without saying a word. The commute back home was silent as well. There were multitudes of shocked, bewildered, and melancholy faces on the streets. Newscasters crowded in front of the gates of Buckingham Palace to relay the news we just received, to the rest of the world. I could not bear to hear them say it over and over again though. I did not know why I was so upset about it. I wasn’t one of those people who was crazed over the royal family and tracked their every move. I also didn’t support the things they had done in the past either, but all of a sudden my nationalism and patriotism were on full display. It was a feeling I had never experienced before but I knew I needed to act on it.

When the time came that members of the general public were allowed to view the coffin, I got there as quickly as I could. I did not have the threat of work to keep me from going, as my boss let all employees know we were off until further notice. I stood in line for a total of 15 hours, waiting to just get a glimpse of the woman I didn’t even know. While I paid my respects, I felt a chapter close, not just for me, but for my country and for my world.