The nation has bid a final farewell to Queen Elizabeth II, with a state funeral and military procession fit for a monarch of her standing. Leaders and royalty from throughout the world joined King Charles III and the rest of the Royal Family at Westminster Abbey on the 19th of September.
Hundreds of thousands of people came out to show their respects as The Queen’s coffin was taken to her final resting place in Windsor. At the funeral, the Dean of Westminster paid tribute to the Queen’s ‘lifelong sense of duty’.
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Queen Elizabeth’s life and reign
Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor was born on 21 April 1926, in a house just off Berkeley Square in London, to George V, and his duchess, the former Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon.
From the day of her crowning on the 2nd June 1953, Britain has changed beyond recognition. For the British public, the queen was a larger-than-life symbol of Britishness and a constant presence in a fast-changing world. As the longest reigning monarch in British history, most of us can’t conceive of a time when she wasn’t the face on our money.
The moment Britain stood still
On 8 September 2022, Elizabeth II died at 96 at Balmoral Castle in Scotland.
The long reign of Queen Elizabeth II was defined by a strong sense of public duty, and a neverending dedication to serving the British people.
The nation weeps in collective mourning
Following the news of her death, thousands of mourners made their way to Buckingham Palace to pay their respects. The news led to an outpouring of grief across the country and beyond. In true British tradition, people braved the cold and rain to lay cards and flowers in dedication to The Queen. Many were in floods of tears, and others broke into renditions of the national anthem.
London cabbies mourn the loss of the Queen
Another iconic British icon, London’s black cab drivers, were deeply moved by the news of The Queen’s passing.
Cabbie Robert Caulder was among the first to arrive at the Mall in front of Buckingham Palace. When he heard the news on the radio, he turned his ‘light off and just made a beeline there, just to pay respects.’
Soon, other cabbies began to follow suit, lining up in front of Buckingham Palace in rows of as many as four vehicles. More than 50 black cab drivers were parked up before the road was closed by the police that evening.
A friend of Mr Caulder, Michael Ackerman, a cab driver for 26 years, said some touching words about The Queen. ‘The only woman we’ve ever known, a constant in both of our lives, and we’re showing our respect. There would have been a lot more cab drivers here, but they’ve closed the road, so no more can get here’.
He continued, ‘We drive past here every day, it just becomes part of your life, really. Everybody wants to go to the palace. She becomes a big part of your life without actually being part of your life if that makes sense. I feel very sad, I really do. I was actually gutted.’
Mr Ackerman’s sentiment is mirrored by many of us in the British public. We felt that the Queen was a part of our life, and her passing (although an inevitability), feels surreal. The Queen and London’s Black Cabs are part of the fabric of our lives, and so it is fitting that Cabbies gave her Majesty such a touching tribute.