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Queen Elizabeth II has died

bbc.com

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Re: Queen Elizabeth II has died

#521

Post by charles_f »

pbhjpbhj wrote: post #474
dang wrote: post #329

All: please don't post flamebait, including ranting against monarchy or railing against "the nobility" like it's 1770. Such reflexive comments are not on topic here. We want curious conversation. Please review https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html . This story is on topic because it's a major historical event and history has always been on topic here. If it doesn't produce an intellectually curious respons…

Quoted post unavailable.

There is a difference between criticizing monarchy in a civilized manner and flamebating. A civilized discussion is 90% of the value of hn compared to, say, reddit.

> this ever more fascist government from undermining fundamental aspects of our supposed democracy.

This, for example, is flamebating

Re: Queen Elizabeth II has died

#522

Post by bpye »

saberience wrote: post #71

It's weird, I've never considered myself a "royalist" but this news has affected me quite strongly. I just burst into tears unexpectedly on hearing this news and I don't quite understand why I feel so very sad. I guess I have grown up and lived my whole life (as a Brit) seeing and hearing the Queen, singing "God save the Queen" etc, and this news made me suddenly feel very old, very nostalgic, with the sense that all…

I was very quietly watching BBC News whilst in a meeting. The news was announced just a couple minutes in, I didn't expect to particularly care, but, apparently I do...

Re: Queen Elizabeth II has died

#523

Post by Akronymus »

blibble wrote: post #373
kypro wrote: post #333

As a Brit I'm not a huge fan of the royal family on principle, but Queen Elizabeth has been such an excellent head of state for us you really can't fault her. People like to make out her life was easy and that it's not fair that she inherited such a privileged position, but I think the exact opposite. Her life seemed like living hell to me. Every day for the last 70 years she's had to serve this largely ungrateful co…

> Even in her 90s she took her duties extremely seriously, and I respect the hell out of her for that. she was still working (appointing ministers) on Tuesday God Save the Queen

this was a stupid comment I shouldnt have posted. Edited out the old text.

Re: Queen Elizabeth II has died

#524

Post by mihaaly »

henriquemaia wrote: post #222

To everyone who feels sad by these news, my condolences. I respect your pain. However, I have to confess that to whenever I hear that someone aged 90+ (80+, even) died, I don't really feel sad. Actually, I feel an urge to praise this person's achievements, as I'm aware we are all mortals, and death is unavoidable. I prefer to rejoice in how much this person has witnessed throughout her life, how she had enough health…

I believe this is quite healthy view you have and I think we feel sorry for ourself mostly that something in our life has gone.

Re: Queen Elizabeth II has died

#525

Post by seydor »

rdm_blackhole wrote: post #510

This is not a rant nor a flamebait. I am a commonwealth citizen and a staunch republican. I am against monarchies by principle. Unfortunately the king/queen of England is also the Supreme Governor of the Church of England which goes against my principles as well since I am an atheist. I do not wish ill will on the royal family, but as a humanist who believes that every man, woman and child born on this planet is equa…

I think certain commonwealth countries will rethink whether they want Charles to be their official head of state. With Elizabeth dead, the memory of british empire becomes much more faded

Re: Queen Elizabeth II has died

#527

Post by vages »

sofixa wrote: post #418
UncleOxidant wrote: post #384

Not to mention that she was the last monarch to have any memory of WWII and served as an ambulance mechanic. Now that generation that remembered the horrors of fascism has mostly passed and we find ourselves in a period that seems to have many echos of the 1930s with a new rise of authoritarianism and fascism around the world.

> Not to mention that she was the last monarch to have any memory of WWII That's probably not true. There's the Dalai Lama and Simeon II of Bulgaria, who were minors but at least Simeon surely remembers (his father died in suspicious circumstances, he had an unconstitutional regency, and then he was dethroned, expelled and spent his life in exile). > Now that generation that remembered the horrors of fascism has most…

King Harald V of Norway (born 1936) and Queen Margrete II (born 1940) are old enough to remember WW2. So is Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands (born 1938, abdicated).

I think the grandparent comment’s author forgot to insert a “British” in front of monarch.

Edit:

> [Simeon II] is, along with the current Dalai Lama, one of only two living people who were heads of state from the time of World War II. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simeon_Saxe-Coburg-Gotha

However, Elizabeth II did not become Queen until well after WW2.

(Removed erroneous statement about the Swedish king being old enough to remember WW2; he was born in 1946.)

Re: Queen Elizabeth II has died

#528

Post by major505 »

I'm not even brit and I`m sad to see her go. She inspired people in the best and the worst, and I wish other leaders took their job as serious as her.

In a fast changing world she was a constant, always doing her best. It's like a small Light Beacon in the world had been turned off.

Re: Queen Elizabeth II has died

#529

Post by nobodyandproud »

My deepest condolences.

Years ago, I remember reading about how her family remained during WW2 while it was being bombed, against what was certainly “sensible” advice, and sharing in the hardship that everyone else was going through.

Even generations and culturally separated, this sort of shared hardship left a lasting impression on me; and she certainly represented the best of the UK.

Re: Queen Elizabeth II has died

#530

Post by [deleted] »

petesergeant wrote: post #386
BonoboIO wrote: post #261

I feel sad for the british empire, she was like the figure that represented the whole Great Britain. I think it’s the start of a Long way down. Brexit is a disaster, Prince Charles is not really a charming person, Scotland wants to leave Great Britain and join the EU, Northern Ireland is split as ever. God save the king.

> Scotland wants to leave Great Britain I'm not sure that's geologically feasible

[deleted]
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