Queen Elizabeth passed away last night and today, many nations around the world have a new monarch. It seemed to many, including me, that the Queen might go on forever, determined to continue in that faithful duty that she had vowed to fulfil seven decades earlier. Consider that she had first become Queen during the (second) Prime Ministership of Winston Churchill, at a time when Britain still had something of an empire, and now, when the boundaries have shrunk to the heartland of the UK, consider, that she spans this huge and troubled divide, and you will better understand the nature of her reign.

I cannot say whether the monarchy and the constitutional government that springs from it will survive. Republican governments seem to do quite well on the whole, notwithstanding some glaring exceptions. Australia may well tip in the next decade or so, or it may not. The example of Queen Elizabeth will be difficult to follow, for will such self-sacrifice not be a challenge for generations accustomed to adoring their own image? I hope not.

My mother is doubtless very upset today and I feel very sad too. The loss is palpable. But the late Queen was a Christian and in this there is profound hope. But for now this is a peace that is well earned.

Said to be the last photo taken of the Queen, receiving the new British Prime Minister at Balmoral. Copyright The Independent