This creation has a different inspiration from the other creations published on this site. On Thursday 8th September 2022, Buckingham Palace shared the news that Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II had died peacefully at Balmoral Castle in Scotland.
TV programming was interrupted the share the news, as was radio. It was a moment that the nation knew would happen but didn’t want to witness. Following the news, in the same statement, Buckingham Palace confirmed that the next monarch King Charles III would remain at Balmoral overnight with the Queen Consort, Camilla, before travelling to London on Friday.
As a nation with a monarchy, this happening was a moment in our history, playing out as we lived through it. Something that had not happened since 1952, when Her Majesty became Queen following the death of her father, King George VI.
The plans for the protocol and procedures that were to happen following the death of Her Majesty The Queen had been confirmed for some time and were known as Operation London Bridge. Additionally, with the late monarch passing in Scotland, a sub-protocol plan, termed Operation Unicorn – after Scotland’s national animal, was brought into effect.
The time of the passing of Her Majesty The Queen was a week in which a decade occurred within a week. On Monday 5th September, Liz Truss was confirmed the winner of the Conservative Party Leadership Contest that had taken place over the summer. On Tuesday 6th, Boris Johnson tendered his official resignation to the late Queen, and Liz Truss was asked to form a government and be The Queen’s 15th Prime Minister.
From the announcement of the passing of Her Majesty The Queen, the nation entered a national period of mourning which would last ten days, with the final day being the day of the state funeral for the late monarch. The mourning period sees the accession and proclamation of King Charles III as well as processions and pageantry of a high degree.
This week has seen the nation come together at a time of significance and history being made. Whether people are pro- or anti- monarchy, most people have demonstrated respect towards the event, acknowledging Her Majesty’s 70 years of service to the nation, as well as The Queen being a mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. A family who have grieved and mourned in public undertaking their duties during the national mourning period.
So, this creation was undertaken to mark the passing of the late Queen Elizabeth II, completed on Friday 16th September 2022. A time where Her Majesty’s coffin lies in state in Westminster Hall and members of the public queue for over 19 hours to file past.
These times are like none we have seen in a generation. One thing associated most with Queen Elizabeth II was her stability and the continuity of her reign. Through times of trouble and worry, through the times of glee and celebration – Her Majesty was a constant.
This creation was of Her Majesty’s official residence, Buckingham Palace. It is worth noting there is one protocol error in the creation – done deliberately. Have you noticed yet?
The Royal Standard above Buckingham Palace, stating the monarch is in residence, is at half-mast. Now whilst it is tradition to fly flags at half mast to mark the passing of a person, the Royal Standard is never flown at half mast as there is always a monarch. When a monarch passes, the heir succeeds them immediately meaning there is always a person on the throne.
So why do this deliberate mistake? Again, it was a small remark to acknowledge that the longest reigning monarch of the UK, Commonwealth, and the realms, a reign of 70 years, had passed.
The process video for the creation is shown below:
As the nation looks to the state funeral, at the time of writing this, this creation is a small tribute. A time of national change, a new Prime Minister, Liz Truss, and a new monarch, King Charles III. The United Kingdom has entered a new era.
This blog post is available in audio as a podcast and can be found here: Buckingham Palace audio
Artwork in Progress 