Reflections on the Passing of Her Majesty The Queen

The grey clouds that loured over College Green and the Cathedral this morning reflected the collective mood of our Foundation community and that of the nation as a whole. We have lost our Head of State, exemplary in humble and selfless service throughout her reign. As Defender of the Faith, her ethos of devotion and duty has been truly inspirational; her personal faith has invigorated and guided everything she has done.

At twelve noon today the entire Foundation stood in silence as a mark of respect for Her Majesty as the Cathedral’s bourdon began to toll ninety-six times, one for each year of her life. The atmosphere was understandably solemn, as each member of our community reflected upon the sense of loss that we feel, individually and collectively.

In this period of national mourning, we have felt it appropriate to cancel or postpone many events. There will be no after-school activities today and the Monitors’ Dinner this evening will be postponed. There will be no games fixtures this weekend and next week the U18 Boys’ rugby match versus St Gregory’s, Argentina, the School Concert with St Gregory’s College and the hockey 1st and 2^nd XIs matches versus the Argentina Touring Side will not take place. The OV Reunion weekend at the end of next week will also be postponed. Indeed, no school events which are primarily social in purpose will take place during the entire period of national mourning. School will be closed on the day of the State Funeral to allow pupils and staff to be with their families, grieving for Her Majesty and the Royal Family but also celebrating her long life and unstinting service.

The King’s Foundation is proud of the particular links that we have enjoyed with Her Majesty. These include the presence of at least two Old Vigornians in person, in a professional capacity, on the day of the Coronation itself, the representation by three of our cadets at the parade at Buckingham Palace to mark the centenary of the Combined Cadet Force in 1960 and the fact that King’s provided by far the largest contingent of singers and musicians of any of the seven schools involved with A Celebration of Kings,  a Choir Schools’ Concert, when the King’s Schools which were founded or re-founded in 1541 joined together on 12 November 1991 at the Royal Albert Hall in the presence of the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh. Our Choristers have also performed at many events in the Queen’s presence in Worcester Cathedral, most notably the Royal Maundy service on 3 April 1980. A number of King’s and Queen’s Scholars spoke to the Queen or the Duke in the Cathedral when they visited the city for the 800th anniversary celebrations of the granting of Worcester’s City Charter in November 1989, and many members of the School also met the Queen and other members of the Royal Family in July 2006 during events marking the 50th anniversary of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme.  Finally, King’s and Queen’s Scholars, along with the Royal British Legion, formed a guard of honour in College Yard when Her Majesty and Prince Philip visited on 11 July 2012 as part of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Tour of the UK.

While Union flags will be lowered and flown at half-mast on royal residences, government buildings and military establishments as well as many schools, colleges and places of worship, the Royal Standard will not. This is because we already have a new monarch, King Charles III. The crown passed seamlessly to him upon the death of his mother; he is now our Head of State. As Prince of Wales, his motto was “Ich Dien”, that is, “I Serve”. That central ethos of selfless and humble service has also passed from monarch to monarch, from mother to son. It is an ethos that we should all have as the foundation of everything we do.

May Queen Elizabeth the Second rest in peace; God save the King.