Queen Elizabeth II served the country flawlessly and will be remembered with love - The Yorkshire Post says

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral marked not just the end of her life, or the end of 70 years of dedicated service to Britain and the Commonwealth, but it also marked the end of an era; the new Elizabethan era.

It was a time of great progress and change; a period that required stability. Leadership. Leadership which fell upon the shoulders of a 25-year-old Elizabeth Windsor.

The Queen was at the Sagana Lodge in Kenya when she heard of the passing of her father, George VI.

There were few doubts that Queen Elizabeth would be able to handle the weighty duties as head of state.

In fact, Sir Winston Churchill recalled that she had an air of authority and reflectiveness when she was a mere infant. Qualities that would shape Her Majesty’s 70 year reign.

With the Empire coming to an end, the world was changing fast, but Queen Elizabeth instinctively recognised that she would need to be the glue that held the Commonwealth together.

Despite anti-royal sentiment in parts of the world, she was blessed with a special way of making friends. In 1997, ahead of her visit to the site of the Amritsar Massacre, there were widespread protests.

But after she paid her respects, laid a wreath and stood for a moment’s silence, protests dissipated. Her Majesty understood people and recognised the power in what it meant to win hearts across the world.

She pledged to devote herself to the service of her people both in Britain and the Commonwealth when she was still Princess Elizabeth. She more than delivered on that promise.

The new Elizabethan era delivered stability that was often taken for granted. But yesterday’s funeral procession felt like a poignant reminder of what this country had and has now lost.

A day of pomp, ceremony and emotion, the wail of bagpipes hailing from her beloved Scotland carried a nation's grief through the autumnal air. The beat of the drums gave a sorrowful beat to an impeccable procession that drew respectful crowds from all corners of the country.

Hymns echoed around Westminster Abbey, a fitting place to say goodbye to the second longest reigning monarch in the world. It was here that she married her “strength and stay”, the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Philip. Westminster Abbey was where her coronation took place. The poetic circle of service could not have been more perfect.

But just as the day was one of great sadness, it was also one of celebration. People applauded, they shared stories with one another and there were moments of cheer and smiles.

That around 500 heads of state and dignitaries came together is a measure of the affection and respect for Her Majesty in equal measure. Her funeral was one of the biggest gatherings of politicians from across the world in Britain for decades.

During her reign, she kissed hands with 15 Prime Ministers. It is fitting that the last public photograph of Her Majesty was of her carrying out that duty, inviting Liz Truss to form a Government.

Great credit must be given to all those involved in the organisation of the funeral procession, from the security services to the police.

If there were any fears about Britain’s standing on the world stage then those will have been assuaged by the scale and speed at which the authorities have enacted plans to enable people to pay their respects to Her late Majesty.

The funeral was a display of all that is Great about Britain: a demonstration of a nation's values that have been instilled into our DNA in no small measure by the conduct and character of our Queen.

Here in Yorkshire, the past ten days have shown what she meant to so many people in the region.

Thousands and thousands of people determined to pay their respects made the trip to London to say their own farewell first-hand. Others gathered around screens to collectively grieve the loss of their Queen and witness the procession.

Faith leaders rightly called for people to make sure no one was left grieving on their own, urging spaces to be kept open and for family, friends and neighbours to come together during such a sad but momentous occasion.

The cry of church bells reverberated throughout our green and pleasant land, uniting the parishes of the nation in the occasion.

Few deaths in this country will have had such a seismic impact on the population at large.

Her late Majesty had an unswerving devotion to her faith and was Supreme Governor of the Church of England. Reflecting the evolving nature of Britain, she was also a supporter of interfaith relations.

In her 2014 Christmas Message, Queen Elizabeth II said: “Christ’s example has taught me to seek to respect and value all people of whatever faith and none.”

She used her values and beliefs towards bringing peace and reconciliation in Northern Ireland.

Queen Elizabeth II’s first ever radio broadcast was on the BBC’s Children’s Hour in 1940, where even as a 14-year-old, she reassured young people whose lives had been turned upside down by the Second World War that “in the end, all will be well.”

It was a sentiment that had similarities to the address she would give to the British people in April 2020 at the beginning of the pandemic.

Her presence and voice then was as reassuring as ever before. Those words we all so needed to hear: “we will meet again” became a rally cry for families kept apart for so long. It was a comfort that we clung to at a time of great uncertainty.

But the Queen didn’t see her role as that of delivering addresses. She instead lived the very values she spoke about by leading by example.

When she lost her beloved husband Prince Philip, Queen Elizabeth observed public health guidelines, cutting the image of a lone figure clad in a mask at the funeral bringing a tear to the nation’s eye.

It showed how steadfast Her late Majesty was when it came to doing what was right and showed that she sympathised with what many of her subjects had been through during the pandemic.

In turn, she brought out the best in us all. The floods of well-wishers, all patiently queuing to pay their respects during the lying-in-state and the banks of people at the funeral procession a reminder of that quality. The humanity on display in recent days has truly shown the best of Britain.

Queen Elizabeth II will be venerated for generations to come because of her dedication to her people. She viewed herself as a steward of the monarchy.

As the Archbishop of Canterbury so aptly put it in his sermon, “Those who serve will be loved and remembered long after those who cling to power and privileges have been forgotten.”

She served with distinction, seldom putting a foot wrong and when problems in the Royal Family increasingly troubled her, she had the courage of her convictions to set it on the path to modernity.

That is why yesterday was a moment in history. There will never be another day like it.

Like an old timepiece, the mechanics of history have whirred and clicked and the hour hand now points to King Charles III. The royal cypher will change, people will slowly become accustomed to the new national anthem, stewardship of the monarchy now rests on his shoulders.

His eyes pooled with tears as those inside Westminster Abbey sang God Save the King. But it is now his time to carry on the service that his mother gave so dutifully to this country.

King Charles is a moderniser in his own right and has proven to be ahead of his time on a range of issues.

He takes to the throne fully in the knowledge that the British people are behind him. Because of the work undertaken by his mother, and her guidance for her family, the monarchy is stronger today than it has been for several decades.

For now, it is a time of reflection on the life of a figure who inspired awe wherever she went. Queen Elizabeth was more than just a head of state. Her royal walkabouts became a hallmark of her reign.

The wreath on the Queen’s coffin contained myrtle, the ancient symbol of a happy marriage. It had been cut from a plant that had been grown from a sprig of myrtle in Her late Majesty’s wedding bouquet in 1947. A symbolic touch representing her happy marriage to Prince Philip.

People have been sharing personal stories of the Queen. Ones that go beyond the formal appearances that we have all become so accustomed to.

And so as our steadfastly devoted Queen is moved carefully to her final resting place, this newspaper records that His Grace the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, says it better than we could: you have served your country flawlessly and faithfully as you promised you would, your Majesty. For that you will forever be remembered with love.