0:02

hi, ft weekend listeners this is lila

0:04

on thursday, queen

0:06

elizabeth the second died she

0:09

would 96 years old and she ruled

0:11

britain longer than any other monarch

0:13

and it's history for 70 years

0:15

over the last seven decades,

0:18

the queen has been a symbol of and

0:21

resilience she was a monarch

0:23

and a matriarch, this

0:25

weekend millions are mourning, her

0:27

death and remembering her life outside

0:31

of the commonwealth were used to leaders

0:33

coming and going the crown

0:36

is different if you're british

0:38

the queen has likely been there your entire

0:40

life he's more in

0:43

all the prime minister's the remember fifteen

0:45

of them and she

0:47

was everywhere the money on

0:50

tv the mug in your grandmother's

0:52

cupboard however you

0:54

may feel about the crown as an institution

0:57

the queen was always there

1:01

we knew the queen was unwell on thursday

1:03

and likely to pass away imminently the

1:06

my ass the editor of sp weekend alec

1:08

russell to join me to reflect

1:10

on her legacy

1:12

i remember meeting have i remember only

1:14

met her as her as of the first time

1:16

i met her at was with that seats

1:18

our can put his sewn and silent as

1:20

we were talking and midway through

1:22

our conversation the official announcement

1:24

came erica have to tell

1:27

you that am the in essence

1:29

is dropped the queen has in fact

1:31

died

1:33

oh my and oh my

1:39

goodness her on i think

1:41

v

1:42

the nation will be will be utterly stunned

1:45

and i think a lot of people start crying and

1:48

and i think it's gonna be gonna very sad week or

1:50

so

1:52

the take cleo busy for older people

1:54

i think people in their seventies

1:57

and eighties ah financial

1:59

the right through

2:02

right through the country oh my goodness

2:04

i don't really know him say i didn't know what say

2:07

can i ask how you're feeling

2:10

hum

2:12

i don't really know i feel that's a

2:14

huge sense of of loss

2:16

and i think that i'll

2:20

be three moments like this it's easy

2:22

to get

2:23

over sentimental

2:25

that she was a truly truly

2:28

remarkable person and

2:31

she has really really helped

2:33

they can

2:34

navigate it's way into the twentieth

2:37

century and on through the twentieth

2:39

century she's helped

2:41

that the country come to terms

2:44

with the , of empire

2:46

all of which had happened before i was

2:48

born but but backwash

2:50

of which was continuing to

2:53

unfold when i was growing

2:55

up and on into early

2:57

adulthood i feel very very

2:59

sad it also proud touchy

3:02

i think i think see with

3:04

it as i said she was a truly extraordinary

3:08

bigger and we

3:10

were very very lucky alec

3:14

of course did have a lot to say about

3:16

the queen as we continue talking

3:18

he's been a journalists since the nineteen eighties

3:20

and like many britons he's also lived

3:22

his entire life under her reign she

3:25

had such an extraordinary life

3:28

and not just

3:31

for what she lived through

3:33

and she lived through a lot when you think fit

3:35

see came to the throne in

3:38

the early years of see colonization

3:40

as the british empire was being

3:43

on states she ,

3:45

queen during the suez crisis during

3:47

the vietnam war war

3:50

for margaret thatcher's years in office

3:52

and on and on over the decades

3:55

so yes part of the emotion

3:57

is oversee just one of verse

3:59

that foods such as long

4:02

, devoted to

4:05

her nation and to public

4:07

service and duty ah

4:10

but also see sit as embodied

4:13

decency and

4:16

the

4:17

good values and

4:19

, think she's played a phenomenal

4:22

role in just helping the nation

4:24

muddle along as nations have to

4:26

do and to do is gonna

4:28

be felt very very deeply

4:30

yeah

4:31

i was thinking about how the

4:33

last time

4:34

can be like this happened when king george

4:36

the six died it was nineteen

4:38

sixty two and elizabeth

4:41

is twenty seven years old it was like was very

4:43

different time and

4:45

i'm wondering if you can first tell us briefly

4:48

for anyone who doesn't know said of what this morning

4:51

pure the it it's gonna look like in the uk

4:55

well that

4:56

the clocks really just about have

4:58

stopped across britain

5:00

and i think this

5:03

is the only occasion in

5:05

my life and i'm fifty five

5:08

that at that this has happened

5:12

oh six years have been cancelled

5:16

some public events will keep going

5:18

but not many as

5:20

, broadly be suspended

5:24

politics will broadly be

5:26

suspended and

5:29

the nation will reflect

5:32

nation the past will why

5:34

were based in greece and

5:37

just a set of senses i

5:39

suppose of reflection rarely so

5:41

it's going to be have a pretty extraordinary parried

5:44

the queen has been extraordinary arguably the only

5:47

symbol of continuity

5:49

and stability and a particularly

5:53

wobbly turbulent time think

5:55

of the last decade the was up there

5:57

a referendum over whether scotland's days

6:00

the united kingdom which may been

6:02

reasonably comfortably one

6:04

by the unionists those in favor of scotland

6:06

remaining but a much the campaign

6:08

it was terribly close and devices

6:11

then of course there was a vote have a bright fit

6:14

the vote for break sit in two thousand and sixteen

6:16

then three years just

6:19

monumental , over of over

6:21

britain's future in it's place in the european

6:23

union then breaks it happened then

6:27

of course we had cove it

6:29

in the mean time and mean time toby

6:31

we've had a succession of extraordinary

6:34

governments many which of have ended

6:36

after just a couple of years couple nation's

6:39

had quite a tough time and all the

6:41

while the queen has gone on

6:43

to her late eighties and nineties smiling

6:46

serene he sang the right saying

6:48

never putting a foot wrong

6:50

and now she's gone yeah

6:53

alec you know i felt it quite viscerally

6:55

when i lived in london for a few years that

6:57

like queen elizabeth as kind

7:00

of your glue and them

7:03

the noted the initial mourning

7:05

period but you have a sense of how

7:07

do you think britain will process this longer

7:10

well it's

7:11

cause quite an interesting time we have a new prime

7:14

minister prime minister whose took office

7:16

just a day or so before the queen tied

7:20

they have a new monique the first pneumonic and seventy

7:22

years and king

7:24

charles had

7:26

, as we put it it

7:29

awkward time in the minds of

7:31

many and person in his middle yes

7:34

i think most people would say

7:37

that the fact that he's had to

7:39

wait until his mid seventies

7:41

to ascend the throne probably

7:45

a good thing but it's a good

7:47

time for him because the

7:49

will once the reflection the morning

7:52

the pageantry the pomp

7:54

one so civil faded away i

7:56

think people will start asking questions and saying

7:59

okay queen elizabeth

8:02

was a remarkable sega very

8:04

much in the tradition of had to greats

8:07

predecessors as queens

8:09

queen elizabeth the first in the sixteenth

8:11

century and then of course queen victoria

8:14

in the nineteenth century but now

8:16

maybe it's time to read

8:18

think the mauna kea people were rightly

8:20

be off met in the and they should have cause to

8:22

this is one of those lines

8:25

in the sand and king charles

8:27

will have to make

8:30

clear quite early how he sees

8:32

the mauna kea evolving and how

8:34

he sees his role man

8:37

to what extent he thinks possibly that

8:39

the money spent on the monarchy it's should

8:42

be spent differently or whatever they'll be they'll

8:44

be big and important questions now

8:46

yeah yeah i mean

8:48

a lot of people think the monarchy is

8:50

an institution that

8:52

that lived itself but the sensei got

8:54

was that many people like clean

8:56

elizabeth very much personally even if

8:58

they didn't like the crown or they

9:00

may not feel that way about

9:01

i will i think that's what will be very

9:04

very

9:05

interesting i mean as you will know

9:07

from when you've lived

9:09

in britain been of many

9:12

things about as

9:15

, people here is

9:17

that city folk does it work and

9:20

and their friends in the pub

9:22

chatting at work to no sound very

9:24

republicans but when of

9:27

this been a big symbolic

9:29

moment in a in the royal family's

9:31

story may lots and lots

9:33

of the same people who who have public

9:36

republicans suddenly get

9:38

a little bit dewy eyed and they'd go to

9:40

paintings and they wave flags

9:43

this and so if i think it's it's

9:45

kings house plays his cards were height

9:47

i don't think there's gonna be up a big crowd

9:49

much into buckingham palace said you know what this

9:51

is the moment for him to come to an end

9:54

but he does need to think

9:56

very carefully about what's

10:00

monique he wants to be eric

10:03

because he reported

10:04

them all over the world

10:05

i'm i'm curious if there's anything

10:07

about the queen's legacy that eating

10:10

might be overlooked well i

10:12

think that it's very important to

10:14

remember that the queen is not just

10:17

a huge figure in

10:19

the life of life of and

10:21

that sixty five million people that

10:23

live here she had a colossal global

10:25

role as well see

10:28

made very clear soon after see

10:31

send it to the throne that the commonwealth was tremendously

10:34

important to her and the commonwealth

10:36

is effectively the group of

10:39

former colonies tend

10:41

independent states and

10:44

cause it could have been a total disaster

10:47

the commonwealth or justice said a meaningless

10:49

thing i mean you might say well why would

10:51

these newly independent states in the

10:53

sixties and seventies want to

10:55

be part of anything to do with the former colonial

10:57

power and it was part of queen elizabeth's

11:00

genius i think that's see

11:02

set up a gentle

11:05

gathering and allowed

11:09

some of these new states to have

11:11

have a voice in a particular context

11:13

that they might not otherwise have had and

11:16

bear in mind that well the queen with

11:19

constitutionally not allowed

11:21

to be a political figure every

11:23

now and then see did make

11:25

important interventions for example

11:28

in , last decade of apostates

11:31

when the british government

11:33

under margaret thatcher was

11:35

again sanctions on the white minority

11:38

regime a queen let

11:40

slip that see thought

11:42

that the apartheid regime should

11:44

face sanctions i mean this was

11:46

skewed sweet significant for

11:49

so many millions of people in

11:51

sub saharan africa not just in south

11:53

africa so i think our influence

11:56

is is far broader at sea than than

11:58

just in the uk

12:01

that a monumental life

12:03

the had a monumental life and and

12:06

when you think about it i mean how

12:08

many slips were them so i'd

12:10

see the best arguably they would to one of which

12:12

was on the very day was born which

12:14

was on twenty first of october nineteen sixty

12:17

six it's as the day of an appalling

12:19

mining disaster in a small wells

12:21

village called aberfan and a slag

12:24

heap fell on

12:26

a local primary school i forget how many little

12:28

children were killed over one hundred or so and

12:33

the queen who then been the

12:35

throne for thirteen

12:37

and a bit yes didn't

12:41

race to be that or i

12:43

think it's fair to say acknowledge the public mood

12:46

then very different circumstances

12:49

when in nineteen ninety

12:51

seven princess diana

12:53

her daughter in law was killed in

12:55

that mobile car crash

12:58

in paris again the

13:00

public sense that she

13:02

and it was see they felt had

13:04

misjudged the mood and she'd

13:06

gone for the stiff upper lip and

13:08

actually the nation wanted

13:11

from her they wanted more from her and

13:13

so it was a criticism but i think it was also

13:15

a sense of we need you we need you to

13:17

express emotions so those two

13:19

moments yes i think could be

13:22

seen as fast

13:24

, over went have another ten ten

13:26

saw or misjudgments to

13:29

misjudgments in seventy

13:32

years she

13:34

really very years she put

13:36

a foot wrong

13:38

the and

13:39

and as i said it really helps

13:42

lead britain into a

13:44

new era which again sounds extraordinary given

13:46

that says he says sees the embodiment

13:49

of the monarchy this is brimming with

13:51

tradition and which is best

13:53

known for it's ceremonial parades and

13:55

pageants and so on but it was a

13:57

magic to it too

13:59

i like as thank you for being with us

14:02

on it very sad day

14:03

thank you

14:12

after my conversation with alec or producer

14:15

looseness went out to buckingham palace

14:17

the here a quarter

14:18

miller says that at the palace gates

14:21

it was somber people were crying

14:23

and placing flowers that across

14:25

the street and the victoria monument the

14:27

energy was more communal people

14:30

were singing and drinking cups of wine

14:33

it would like they just wanted to be there

14:35

together

14:36

the historic day

14:38

here are a few of their voices

14:41

let alone

14:46

no

14:51

whoop

14:59

in , way i was growing up when

15:01

someone passed away away normally

15:04

just normally even in the midst of

15:06

a mixed feelings so

15:08

mixed to thing , a flavor

15:11

to the sour not flavor are feeling

15:13

presently and ,

15:16

our hearts with hope it

15:19

, seem real to me as idling

15:21

for a lot cheaper to seem real sense

15:24

of a day or thought coming down

15:26

here with me understand that thousand

15:29

kind of all i mean that has and say

15:32

well as we like chain saw my side

15:34

when i was about sexy times a

15:36

car to say i'm from canada and

15:38

i got

15:38

it over the barrier

15:39

the play am i went outside gave

15:42

us flowers and she said my hands

15:44

say yes quite fast sell

15:46

i with my car and

15:48

as join persuades castle and

15:50

, was listening to to four

15:52

and just as i was looking the looking

15:55

in up some came on as if he had died said

15:58

died was quite serious as like i was

16:00

on the dreaming i was with tearing up in

16:02

the car i never really saw i was i

16:05

know been like a big royalist said

16:07

yes weird feeling

16:09

i can i have we'll dig our town

16:11

so we wrote letters

16:13

to would clean ,

16:16

in order for her to read it we fund them

16:18

they would have the let us say i voted

16:20

in german and sits in

16:22

great admiration of her personality

16:25

personality how see rules the country

16:28

and how she kept herself and

16:30

the perspective of were saying the lighting

16:33

of the lesson

16:34

their life says of us in front of a we were going to

16:36

put it in her nora as

16:43

besides i she's

16:46

she's estate a real job

16:48

, told the sekai and on force

16:51

and eight without the queen hello schools

16:53

as this festival family anymore in

16:55

our charles's salzburg you know over sale

16:57

or got that seven thousand like

16:59

the time died and older than

17:02

and often reminders about family small

17:04

opinion opinion say the money's

17:06

going to change of oh because of can be a face on and on

17:09

the ever like that because of because woman angeles

17:12

as well and i'm gonna have anja to see of anja to kid

17:14

nothing wrong with that were on the i would like the fall off

17:17

mana for the queen

17:26

that's the show the sleek thank you

17:28

for listening to ascii we can the podcast

17:30

from the financial times we'll

17:33

be back to our regular format next week

17:35

in the meantime please feel free to retell

17:37

you can email us at ft weekend podcast

17:40

at ft that com the show is

17:42

on twitter at s t weekend pod

17:44

and i am on instagram and twitter atlanta

17:48

the ft coverage of the monarchy is

17:50

ongoing and i've included some links

17:52

in the zone else alongside a way to subscribe

17:55

i'm lying around topless and here's my

17:57

exceptional team catty team composer

17:59

is senior if lulu, smith

18:01

is our producer molly, nugent

18:03

is are contributing producer i sound

18:06

engineers are bream turner and them to think

18:08

with the music by metaphor music

18:10

till 4 for has his are executive

18:13

producer and special, thanks, go alex

18:16

and cheryl bromley best

18:18

wishes to you all this weekend, and will find

18:20

each

18:20

there next week