Queen Elizabeth II, the longest reigning monarch in the history of the United Kingdom, died on September 8th at her Balmoral estate in Scotland. She was 96 years old. As the news broke, AHA students and staff were left shocked, with many commenting that despite the monarch’s advanced age, they had not expected her death.
One teacher had a connection with the Queen unlike any other at AHA. Chemistry teacher Mr. Wright was born and raised in the United Kingdom and served the Crown in the Royal Navy. The Blue & Gold sat down with Mr. Wright for a short conversation on memories and the legacy of the Queen.
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BLUE & GOLD: So, first of all, where were you when you heard the news?
MR. WRIGHT: I was just coming back into my classroom, so I was in the hallway, and Ms. Fish told me. I immediately went into my room, closed the door, and I checked my phone, because I was getting notifications throughout the day from the BBC. And that’s when I found out.
B&G: And what was your first reaction to that?
WRIGHT: Disbelief, in a way. I knew it was coming, because, earlier on in the day, I had received a notification that senior members of the Royal Family were going to Balmoral, so I thought, “Okay. This thing’s gonna be close.” But I literally, truly flopped down into my chair and was just — my breath was taken away, and I was without speech, and soon the tears just started to flow.
B&G: Do you have any distinct memories of the Queen from when you lived in the U.K.?
WRIGHT: One of the things that I really remember was V-E Day. It was 50 years after the victory in Europe for World War II, and I remember I was walking down the Mall (between Trafalgar Square and Buckingham Palace) in London, and I walked up, and the Queen came onto the balcony at Buckingham Palace. It was the Queen with the other senior members of the Royal Family, and the crowd just, I mean, if you imagine a rock concert, it’s like that, but 1,000 times bigger.
B&G: Like the other Queen.
WRIGHT: Yeah, imagine it was like the other Queen. That would be amazing. But this is kids and grandfathers and everybody in between, and we’re all just going (crazy). It’s so difficult to define for somebody. I mean, if a president dies in the U.S., it just doesn’t have that same thing, because the presidency remains.
B&G: The president hasn’t been in office for 70 years, too.
WRIGHT: Right, but also, the presidency is this role. The monarchy is the living embodiment of the Crown. It’s difficult to put into words. It’s not patriotism, it’s not jingoism or anything like that. It’s just the massive passing of an era. She’s the only monarch I’ve ever known, the monarch I served for, and (to me) it’s like this closing moment. And immediately, I mean immediately, I just realized it was God Save the King.
B&G: Last thing. Do you have any thoughts about the new king?
WRIGHT: Best of luck to His Royal Highness King Charles III. I think he’s going to make a phenomenal monarch. I’ve always been a big supporter of Charles and his opinions. I think historically if we look back, he was the first person to start talking about organic farming, and about sustainability, and about the environment, and I think he’s going to be a very good monarch, and I wish him all the best.
B&G: Thank you.
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The response to the Queen’s death has been in planning since the 1960s. The news triggered a meticulous set of plans to move from one monarch to another. The Queen was laid to rest in a service at Westminster Abbey on Monday, September 19. The coronation ceremony for King Charles III is not expected to happen for a few months.
