Royal Style - Farewell, Elizabeth - lady of style

[Maireas]

A sad start to a new thread, but I hope we can celebrate the legacy of Elizabeth Regina, what a woman, and what style!

Yes, I intend to watch for a while today to pay respects/take it all in, before the funeral tomorrow.

The grandchildren all did HM proud (as of course they would!).

Apparently Camilla is doing a tribute to HMQ on tv tonight.

What no media has seemed to notice or mention is that she's effectively been given an official title that no wife of a king has held before. They've always just been The Queen rather than The Queen Consort.

I think, Deftl, it's because when people say "the Queen" we think of Elizabeth.
I wonder if it's just a slight differentiation for that reason?
I suspect that in time, she'll just be referred to as the Queen.

Sorry, Deftly

I think the term is being used for now until HMQ funeral has happened, and possibly for a bit longer after that, until people have got used to the changes and won’t automatically think of Elizabeth II. In time I’m quite sure it’ll be shortened to just the Queen.

Maybe, although I'm sure Alexandra was The Queen immediately after the death of Queen Victoria.

They all look wonderful and I felt it was a fitting tribute from them all to honour their beloved grandmother.

When they switched to the viewing area where Sophie and Edward were I was trying to work out who the 2 ladies were to the left of them - both very elegantly dressed too.

You're right, but I have read that QV was referred to as "the Old Queen", which people may be less happy to use about QE2

Yes but I suppose this is under a specific set of circumstances which the Royal Family were aware might cause issues in that a set of people still feel very strongly about it. Which I believe is why the Queen put it in writing that this is what she wanted. It put to bed a certain debate, because most people in that set, even if they felt strongly about it, would be much more likely to respect the Queen’s wishes. So yes, it absolutely is different in that really without the background it would have just happened automatically, which I think is what you’re saying, but the end result is the same in my view and I do think that she’ll be called Queen quite quickly.

I think she should be called Queen, as that is what she is. But I also completely understand that in today’s climate it’s the right thing to do. I suppose also that the Monarchy in general is viewed very differently today than it was at Victoria’s death so even without the background I think it might have developed this way, just for a time. It’s also been 70 years of one Queen and although Victoria reigned for 63 years she all but retired from public view for the latter half of it, 30 plus years IIRC so I don’t think she was a constant in people’s minds in the way that Elizabeth has been.

(Of course the monarchy as a family of individuals are also much more present in a relatable way in today’s world which is good in some ways and bad in others. People are also less stoic, imo, and have less of a mindset of life must go on. Many people view it just as a soap opera rather than understanding the historical significance of things and the way that changes come about instantaneously upon the death of a Monarch. So I think things have to be managed very differently with a greater emphasis on PR)

Btw I apologise if that comes across patronising in any way! I have a terrible way of sounding like I think I’m talking to someone who doesn’t know anything but it’s not intended that way at all, it’s just how I speak when I’m discussing things.

Yes, I think you're right, @NiqueNique

Queen Alexandra actually declined to be addressed as the Queen for some time after Queen Victoria died, preferring to be referred to as the Princess of Wales officially. When she did eventually start using the title, she wanted to be referred to just as the Queen, not the Queen Consort. Sounds like she was quite clued up about people finding the transition after a long-lived Queen Regnant hard to make!

Ah that’s interesting.

Agree that the Consort bit will just be dropped naturally in time and Camilla will just become the Queen. It might take until the Coronation for it to be in regular use.

I was wondering that too. One was very heavily pregnant. I wondered if they were related to William's equerry that was there

I think it will take a long time, but yes, we’ll probably get there. I think it will start with it being ‘The king and queen’ as opposed to ‘the king and queen consort’ and go from there.

I get that the consort bit will be dropped when speaking about her but it'll still be her official title, as opposed to Elizabeth (QM) and Mary etc who were just HM The Queen.

Going forward I wonder if they'll start to use it for all wives of future kings or if Kate will be HM The Queen without the Consort addition? Time will tell!

Ah ok that does make sense! Yes I guess we’ll have to wait and see.

I think people will want Kate to be Queen. It likely won’t be all that long before she’s in the role and she’ll have been part of the Royal narrative for a long while at that stage, and there’s also none of the background nor any longstanding attachment to Camilla as Queen in the same way as their was fo the Queen given that her role is not the same by any means. So I for one really hope it doesn’t set a precedent. But a lot can happen in 15 - 20 years!

Is there a definite official title of Queen Consort in this case? Is it stated anywhere in ‘official’ writing other than in the King’s Speech and on various platforms/social media? I wonder if he said that in a more fluid sense, since in this Kingdom a Queen Consort has always, as far as I know, been called Queen. In which case unless it’s a new defining title it would still be correct to call her Queen and wouldn’t that still be her official title?

Don’t know if I’ve worded that clearly enough but I hope you know what I mean!

The tribute from Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie was lovely. Having lost my adored grandma last year I couldn't read it without filling up. Perfectly described a relationship that is like no other and which those who are lucky enough to have it are fundamentally blessed and changed by.
I loved the vigil yesterday. I'm so glad they could do that, I think it will be something they are rightly proud of.

Yes it was profoundly moving.

I also found the exchange between Peter and his daughter really lovely, even though it’s hard to see people grieving so publically.

I came to find this thread because I've been wondering about the headbands the granddaughters wore to the vigil yesterday. Is it because they weren't allowed to wear hats inside, so all chose a headband instead? I rather liked that Zara's and Eugenie's had little veils attached. But seeing all four of them in a big headband just made me wonder if there's a reason, and I thought someone here might know!

I like Beatrice's long lacy skirt/dress. And I'm impressed they stood still in heels for so long!

I liked the black velvet headbands. I wonder if they chose them to look similar, to have a unifying look? It worked well.

I wondered about this and thought maybe it was agreed between them so that they felt that they were coordinated/united in some way. A little like the military uniforms (but clearly not quite the same).