On Thursday the eighth of September, the Queen, who for many like myself was the only Queen I had ever known to be on the British throne. This is true for anyone under the age of 70. Meaning she had been the one constant in our lives, rather you are a monarchist, a Republican, or a slightly warm monarchist like myself.
I was taken aback by the loss I felt at the death of the Queen, which I never thought I would feel as I put it in my journal. “I’m feeling a bit emotional this evening on the death of Queen Elizabeth II for the first time in my life. Someone other than the Queen is the British monarch.”
In this article, I will explore how media helped me come to terms with my feelings. A mixture of BBC news and Twitter. A combination of a media company celebrating its centenary this year and a Social media company founded in the twenty-first century.
How I discovered the Queen was ill
I, like many others, found out that the Queen was ill via a news alert from BBC news. During the afternoon, while working, I kept updating the live feed on the BBC news app, but my Twitter feed was doing a better job of keeping me informed of what was happening.
I found out on Twitter that members of the front benches had been passing notes to other members of the front benches during an important debate on the rise of energy prices at about the same time that the palace had announced that the Queen was ill, which suggested that the Queen was very ill indeed.
It was via Twitter that I found out that the presenters on BBC news were changing their clothes to black, again a concerning development.
The announcement of the Queen’s deaths
Like millions, I was watching the news on BBC one when it was announced that the Queen had died, and the same statement mentioned that the King would be travelling back to London in the morning.
For the first time in my life, Britain had a new monarch. Prince Charles was now King Charles III. It didn’t feel right to say that the day the Queen died.
How media helped me to come to terms with the Queen’s death
It took me several days to come to terms with the Queen’s death, and both the mainstream media, represented in my case by the BBC and Social media, in my case Twitter, helped me to come to terms.
I kept up to date with what was happening as the transition from the Queen to our new King took part, including the Ascension announcement of King Charles III by the Privy council, which I found out during the coverage dated back to the Anglo-Saxon period of English history. It was the first time that the Ascension had been broadcast on Television.
At the same time, I was following my Twitter feed and reading and Tweeting about my own feelings. It helped me realise that the bulk of my feelings was coming from uncertainty as Britain entered a new era, along with sympathy for a new king who also had to cope with the loss of his Mum.
The BBC is under threat
Millions of Britain turn to the BBC, our public service broadcaster, whenever a major event happens. Be it a major royal or political news story, a pandemic, or the world cup.
Yet the BBC is under attack by the Conservative government, undermining British culture in the interest of party donors.
Conclusion
We must protect public service broadcasters in Britain; it is vital for British culture, values and jobs. The Conservatives are not just attacking the BBC but all public service broadcasters.
The Conservatives have also put forward legislation to sell Channel 4, a public broadcaster that is self-efficient, even though 95% of those who replied to a public consultation didn’t want to sell it.
CTNET and I support public service broadcasters in the United Kingdom and worldwide.
Finally, I want to thank her majesty the Queen for the service she gave to her country; she was an inspiration to us all.