The Queen is dead, long live the King.
Like Nik I’m ambivalent about the monarchy. Well actually it’s the hereditary nature of the role rather than the institution of the monarchy itself. Certainly separating the head of state from the head of government, outside of politics draws me to prefer the continuation of an institution that functions in a similar way rather than a presidential form of government. So until a better way of transferring the institution of the monarchy (or an equivalent) from one person to another is devised, I’m prepared to live with with the hereditary model.
For those who do not understand how the monarchy works, the monarchy of Aotearoa New Zealand is not the same as the monarchy of the United Kingdom. They are separate institutions regulated by different laws.
Unlike Nik, I’ve been a subject of a monarch for all my life, and all but three of them under Queen Elizabeth Ⅱ. One of my earliest recollections is standing on a raised lawn in the city of Whanganui waving to the new Queen as her cavalcade passed by. That was in January of 1954 on her NZ tour.
Queen Elizabeth II poses for a portrait at home in Buckingham Palace in December 1958. For almost 16 years now, I’ve been a subject of the Queen. It’s kind of weird whenever I think about it — that a kid who was born in Alaska, grew up in the hills of California and went to […]
Queen Elizabeth II 1926-2022: My time under the monarchy — Nik Dirga
Another Spectrum 
9 Sep, 2022 at 5:07 pm
May Her Royal Majesty Rest In Peace
Yours sincerely,
SoundEagle
9 Sep, 2022 at 8:47 pm
I admit I cried when I heard. It was like the death of a beloved aunt.
22 Sep, 2022 at 4:27 pm
Like you, one of my earliest memories is standing on the sidewalk waving a little flag as the young beautiful new queen passed by in my home town of Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. At least in our lifetimes, she and her family were a far more positive presence than 90% of the politicians who have come and gone.