2022年9月16日
Brian Wong
EJ Insight
On the Queen
放大圖片 / 顯示原圖
Queen Elizabeth II passed away after a long – and near-unprecedented-in-length tenure of over seven decades.
I was in New York City when the news of her passing broke. The city was swept by a subdued, eerie sense of poignancy; amidst the hustle and bustle, mutters and murmurings pierced the veil of seeming peace. Ticker banners indicating her death – and the succession of Charles III – were ever-present. “The Queen was dead, long live the King”, reverberated throughout the winds.
As a former British colony that fought tooth and claw for its independence, America's relationship with the legacy of the British Empire is complex – to say the least. Few Americans would consider themselves colonial subjects: under more ordinary times, the Royal Family was relegated to the sidelines as fodder for entertainment and showbiz, or as an afterthought for those making the six-hour commute to Blighty. The Royal Family neither held court nor authority over the American people. Yet such sentiments – Republican and independent in kind – would oft be accompanied by a form of admiration and respect for the institutions that made Britain the great power it once was, and the power that it is no more today. ...
(節錄)