The June 2022 Platinum Jubilee festivities for Queen Elizabeth were both spectacular and poignant. It was a fitting celebration of the queen's 70 years on the British throne, but at the same time, it was a farewell of sorts. With the monarch's age increasing, Britons know that the day will eventually come when the palace will send the code message to the prime minister: "London Bridge is down." This is how the world will learn of Queen Elizabeth's death.
The 10 days that will follow will be an elaborate series of events leading up to the coronation of Prince Charles, according to Politico. Flags will be immediately flown half-staff, and muffled church bells will toll. During the four-day period in which the queen will lie in state, Prince William and Prince Harry will briefly keep watch over their grandmother's casket in a ceremony known as "The Vigil of the Princes" (expect to hear lots of gossip about either a reconciliation or a continued frostiness between the brothers).
Most of all, England will be in a period of deepest mourning to rival even that of Princess Diana's death. London may be practically shut down by the influx of visitors, and social media will be flooded with tributes and memories. Per Reader's Digest, British TV networks will go into nonstop news mode, and comedy shows will be out of the question on the day the queen dies. In short, the national grief will be positively historic, and for good reason.
If the idea of observing a period of such deep mourning seems excessive, consider this: Queen Elizabeth was crowned in 1952 at age 25. Anyone alive at the time has few to no memories of her father, King George VI. Unlike other heads of state who have come and gone, the queen has been a constant presence in the lives of most of the world, and her death will leave a huge void.
British history professor Nicoletta Gullace of the University of New Hampshire spoke to Reader's Digest about the likely response to the queen's passing. "The death of the monarch who has reigned for the entirety of most Britons' lives, and for as long as nearly everyone can remember, will be a moment of tremendous grief, unmooring people from Britain's past and from all they have ever known," she said. "We must expect it to be overwhelming, and I think we are likely to see a tremendous emotional outpouring from a traditionally stoic people."
The grieving process also serves a psychological purpose. As grief expert John Frederick Wilson told The Conversation, a death disrupts our sense of stability and familiarity. But giving ourselves time to mourn allows us to adapt to life without the loved one. He adds, "Indeed, one of the privileges of working with grief is watching how so many clients learn and grow from the experience and emerge from their grief better equipped to deal with future losses."