Scotland and Queen Elizabeth II
We recently had the pleasure of joining a group of friends on a vacation to Scotland to play golf. My husband (Michael) is an avid and very good golfer and was so excited to finally have the opportunity to play over there. However, when I reflect back on those days in Scotland, it feels like two distinct trips. The first was punctuated by golf, filled with spectacular sceneries, whiskey, a lot of laughter and overall joy. Joy at being together with friends, joy at experiencing Michael excelling in a place where he has been wanting to golf, joy at the opportunity to be on vacation and explore a new place.
The second trip started just before 6:30pm on Thursday, September 8th. I will always remember where I was, just like any major event. We had news that morning that Queen Elizabeth was unwell, but as we were on vacation and relatively busy, none of us thought too much of it.
As we gathered in the lobby for cocktails before dinner, the lobby bar TV switched to a screen saying the Queen had died. I couldn’t believe it. I took a picture of the screen – it was all I could think to do.
Snapshot of the TV when they first announced the Queen had died.
Almost immediately after, the bagpiper at the hotel started playing. I don’t think he knew yet; he played every day at 6:30pm.
Bagpiper that started to play seconds after the announcement that the Queen had died.
It all felt surreal, and conversation, while still jocular and enjoyable, was punctuated by questions of lines of succession, what the King would be called (I was partial to King Arthur), and eventually logistical aspects to the rest of our trip. The Queen had died at Balmoral, in Scotland, and it seemed that the Scots had a great deal of pride in that. We were in the southwest part of Scotland, so not close to Balmoral, and at a golf resort where we were pretty isolated. People from home kept asking me, what is it like there, how are people reacting? To be honest, other than 24/7 coverage on every TV channel, it wasn’t a huge topic of conversation. I think that would have been different if we were in a city. I did speak with a few of the staff members to see how they felt. Overall it seemed like a great sense of sadness and loss. As I kept thinking, and many people have remarked, so many people have not lived their lives without the Queen being alive, much less Queen! She is an icon, in so many ways, and with her passing it feels like some of that magic is gone.
Having access to TV in the UK during the time was very interesting. While I am aware that the Palace feeds the news media the stories they want to be told, there was a lot of talk about not only people’s feelings about Charles, but also what so many of the colonies that have been a part of the British Empire are going to do next. Specifically, being in Scotland, it was interesting to hear that combined with the new Prime Minister coming into office, there is an even bigger push for independence there. I wonder if, with the Queen’s passing, that will finally come to pass. And who else will follow?
All that being said, the most impactful day came on Sunday, September 11th. We had always planned to drive from our hotel to Edinburgh to spend the day and then fly home from Edinburgh the next day. Once the Queen passed away, we started to hear many plans that her casket would make its way from Balmoral to Edinburgh, but logistics were still being worked out. Nevertheless, we were following it closely, finding updates on road closures, maps of the city on Twitter; we didn’t know what to expect. Ultimately, we found out her trip to Edinburgh would coincide with our own that Sunday, albeit from different directions.
Living in the US, especially in Washington DC, I think my expectations for the disruption that this would cause in Edinburgh was heightened. Should an event of this magnitude take place in DC, as many events do, the whole city would be shut down and military and police would be called in for security.
We found out that morning that the Queen would be making a 6-hour journey from Balmoral to Edinburgh, leaving at 10am and arriving approximately at 4pm. This allowed us to make our 2-hour journey to Edinburgh, return our rental car and check into our hotel with plenty of time to spare. I was completely shocked at the sparse levels of security and road closures. There were definitely road closures, particularly around the Royal Mile, where the casket would be driving down towards the Palace of Holyroodhouse, but Market Street, where our hotel was two blocks away, was completely open to traffic the whole day.
There were metal barricades lining the Royal Mile with police standing about 10 feet away from each other on both sides up and down.
At about 1:30pm when we walked up to the Royal Mile for the first time, there were a few people here and there that were saving spots along the barricades, but mostly just people milling around.
By 2:45pm, crowds were beginning to form on one side of the street, but you could still cross the street at crossing points and people were still moving around. We found a spot right in front of St Giles Cathedral, where the Queen’s casket was set to lay in rest the next day – right in the middle of the Royal Mile. By 3:30pm crowds were getting fuller behind us, but it was very pleasant. Lots of people chatting and some excitement talking about what to expect.
Waiting for the procession down the Royal Mile at our spot in front of St Giles Cathedral
It struck me the whole time how nice everyone was – there was no jostling or pushing for a better spot, everyone seemed truly happy to just be there.
What also struck me was how little I was concerned about security, particularly my own. There were police and some snipers about, but not the kind of full military turnout that one would expect in the US. I don’t think I would have been in that kind of a crowd in the US – I would have been too afraid of something going wrong or some kind of violence starting. It really made me think about the level of awareness and heightened fear we have every day living in the US. But I digress…
We were right across from a Government building and, a little before 4pm, a bunch of folks dressed up and with scrolls walked across the street and lined up in front of the Cathedral. We also started to see other Government employees lining up on a balcony above and saw a helicopter, which we assumed was following the procession from Balmoral from above.
We weren’t sure what the protocol was going to be as far as if people were going to be silent or if people would cheer. It was very eerie when the procession did arrive because it was so silent. There was a police car so we saw the flashing light leading the procession and then it was upon us. The car holding the casket was moving slowly, but it all happened so quickly. Fortunately, Michael is tall and was able to get an amazing video and picture. After the casket had moved about 10-20 feet past us, the crowds started cheering. It was so interesting because it had been completely silent when the casket went by us.
I did get a little emotional when the casket went by. I know others have written about this, but it made me sad there will not be another Queen of England in my lifetime.
Video of the Queen’s procession down the Royal Mile
The Queen’s casket as it passed by us.
After the procession was over, I wanted to find the Sunday Times, which had a beautiful photo of the Queen on the front and a full section inside. As we walked around to find a place to buy it, I watched the video Michael had taken. To my surprise, I burst out crying! I am not really sure where it came from, and I surprised myself with my emotions. Best I can think of, after a few days of reflection on all of this, is that it was a personification of loss overall. I think I thought about others I’ve lost and it all came out. It could have been a release for days of talking about it and thinking about her life; it could have just been because I was tired and it was a long day. Regardless, I was amazed at my emotional reaction to that experience, especially since I am not a British citizen. Maybe that goes to show the power Queen Elizabeth II had in showing young women that they could succeed in a man’s world and flourish. No matter your thoughts on the monarchy as a whole (I have many), you can’t deny that she was an amazing woman who persevered through many hardships and great loss, gave her life to her job and lived a long and seemingly happy life.
I feel so fortunate to have been in Scotland during this momentous time for the United Kingdom and the World. Getting to experience it all, even the emotions(!), is something I will always cherish.
Scotland already had a special place in my heart – the people in particular really make the country a very magical place – but it is even more fondly held now.
