I liked the queen. As a young woman she strode the global stage with beauty and grace. In her twilight years she adopted the aspect of a kindly grandmother. Like many of us, I suppose, who have never known a different monarch, I rather took her for granted — the Christmas messages, the speeches opening parliament, the endless ribbon cuttings. I don't live for the monarchy, but neither do I object to it. It gives Britain a distinct flavour in the community of nations, and I do enjoy the pageantry and the tradition. But the value of all this depends much on the quality of the monarch, and Elizabeth II stood high in this regard.

RIP.