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Friday 9 April 2021

Sad Day

I didn't expect to feel so sad when I heard that Prince Philip had passed. It's not exactly unexpected for someone that elderly, and I don't think I was ever in the same town as him. So when I felt so lost and upset, I also felt surprised at my feelings.

I posted on Facebook and I'll post the same sentiment here. I think he got some things right. I think he got some things wrong. I think he did his best and he did his duty. 

It feels a little like one of the certainties that made up our lives have gone, and there's a shaky feeling as we try and regain our balance without that reassuring continuity. Whether you loved him or loathed him, he was there. And now he isn't. For what it's worth, I'll pray for his family. They must be devastated.

Hugs and good health to all. 

2 comments:

  1. Yes, I felt very sad too when I heard Prince Phillip had passed away. He has been a constant in my life and I feel particularly sad for the queen, he has been her "rock". He certainly did his duty.

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  2. I think you have got the mood of the nation spot on. It's destabilizing for many who perhaps can't put a finger on why they're feeling more than they expected. The lack of normal mourning also adds to that. I am not a royalist but as you say, he did his best and he did his duty and lived what may have been a very nice but also a very restricted life. But I'm selfish so my overwhelming thought was 'will we be able to hear any guns from here' because random bangs terrify my dog. The Duke of Edinburgh was the only royal I ever met and presumably ever will; I had to "explain" chromatography to him when he visited my school. I think we both knew that he knew perfectly well what it was but he submitted to a series of schoolgirls teaching elementary science with good grace.

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