Life is about moving on and moving forward, constantly. We take this endless journey into the unknown on an everyday basis as individuals, in our private lives, and as a collective in the cities and countries where we live.
An election, a shift in government, often bring on radical changes for the better or the worse. The UK, for example, is now going through a major new transformation as Queen Elizabeth II, the country's longest serving monarch, died yesterday at 96, at her home in Balmoral, Scotland.
The death protocols - known as "London Bridge", first drafted in the 1960s and refined several times a year every year since the end of the century - immediately set into motion.
As she passed away at Balmoral, the most elaborate plans are in: as part of the "Operation Unicorn" (the codename for the plans defining her final journey back to London - yes, this is all starting to sound like a James Bond film...) the coffin will be moved to Edinburgh and then will be flown to London.
Once the coffin arrives at the Palace of Westminster, the orb, sceptre and Imperial State Crown will be laid on top (gems and jewellery fans, please pay attention to St Edward's Sapphire, Black Prince's Ruby and the Cullinan Il diamond in the crown, the latter cut from the largest diamond in the world).
If you are a fashion, textile (check out the Royal Standard flag that will cover the coffin, with the three gold lions for England, a red lion for Scotland and a harp for Ireland) and jewellery designer/researcher, you shouldn't miss the royal funeral. It was Queen Victoria who first arranged a grand stylish funeral for herself (do your personal research on Queen Victoria's mourning trousseau and her passion for black jet and memento mori jewellery, if you have time), but it was her son Edward VII who is the one to praise (or blame...) for grand royal displays. The United Kingdom hasn't witnessed the death of a reigning monarch since King George VI, the Queen's father, died in 1952 at the age of 56, so you can bet this will be a funeral of pomp and pageantry that will intensify patriotic feelings and give a boost to Brexit (of the sort that even Conservative Party leader Liz Truss, who harboured anti-royal sentiment in her younger days and who has just been appointed as Britain's new Prime Minister, will be grateful to the Queen for).
The newly appointed sovereign, King Charles III, 73, decided on the period of royal mourning: for his mother Queen Elizabeth II, he announced for royal mourning to be observed for seven days after the Queen's funeral (expected to take place on September 19, at Westminster Abbey (where Elizabeth married Prince Philip in 1947 and where she was crowned in 1953). The mourning period will therefore last for at least two weeks.
Fashion-wise this means that London Fashion Week catwalks (originally scheduled from 16th to 20th September) may see some changes in their schedule. Raf Simons, for example, cancelled his London debut.
Many fashion houses and designers from all over the world sent their condolences to the royal family via social media. In their messages, designers, fashion houses and brands praised her majesty's remarkable achievement - 70 years on the throne - but also mentioned her duty and commitment, dedication, elegance and balance, For many of them the Queen was indeed an icon of style and an inspiration.
In some cases, British companies, especially those ones that hold a royal warrant and supply goods and services to the royals (such as Launer, the maker of Queen Elizabeth's handbags; Hunter that supplies footwear; tailors such as Anderson & Sheppard, that make suits for Prince Charles, now King Charles III, and Gieves and Hawkes, that make royal military uniforms) took things further: Burberry, that holds a warrant from Queen Elizabeth for trenches and weatherproof clothing since the 1950s, and another warrant from King Charles III for clothing, cancelled its show scheduled for London Fashion Week.
As this long chapter in the royal history of the UK closes, many wonder what will happen next - will the UK ever move on and, as time passes, opt to abolish the monarchy and will the new royal couple be loved as much as Elizabeth II.
King Charles III seems an environmentally committed royal and may help promoting sustainable fashion; the Queen Consort, Camilla, who has never been considered as a fashion icon, has a penchant for jewellery, something that may help her winning the favours of the fashion press. That said, fans of the late Princess Diana do not harbour great sympathies for the His Majesty and the Queen Consort for obvious reasons. So, will there be a republic or anarchy in the UK one day? Too early to say.
What we do know for the time being, is that, in between the demise of a queen and the making a of a king, there will be some interesting mourning fashion moments, even though - no matter where we live - we will also be subject to multiple programmes on TV, and constant posts on social media dedicated to the Queen in which we will learn more invaluable information about the death & funeral protocols, the fate of her corgis and get the chance to gossip about the usual royal feuds.
Even Sex Pistols' John Lydon sent her a message on Twitter stating "Rest in Peace Queen Elizabeth II," but, to be honest, some of us, exasperated by the umpteenth TV report in front of Buckingham Palace analysing the symbolical meaning of the rainbow in the sky after the rain, have probably been silently playing in their minds since yesterday the band's 1977 controversial hit "God Save The Queen" (that, expressing the resentment of the working class towards the monarchy, equated the queen with a "fascist regime"). It may be disrespectful to play it now when the world is mourning the Queen who embodied the royal fairy tale-like myth, but a humble safety pin here or there may help us mere mortals adding that subversive punk touch to our lives and surviving the next two weeks of mourning madness and funeral pageantry.
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