The Rev Jeremy Bentliff: How I will remember the Queen

The Reverend Jeremy Bentliff, Vicar of St George's with St Thomas' in Hyde, gives his own personal reflections of the Queen following Her Majesty's death at the age of 96.

Are you in shock? I still can’t believe it. The queen has been part of our lives since, well- it seems like forever. We will have to get used to new words to the National Anthem, new stamps, and new symbols on our letterboxes. 

So what do we know about this quiet, dignified person? We’ve been hearing stories about her sense of humour, about her various interests- especially in horses. I grew up watching her famous Christmas broadcasts. It was part of my childhood Christmas routine, and my dad would stand up at the end when they played the music. 

When she spoke, I was always surprised how up front she was about her faith. Even as a vicar, I sometimes pause for a moment before sharing what I believe, but she just came out with it. Was she sincere? Jesus said to judge people by their fruit. And you can’t say that she didn’t practice what she preached. 

The other thing we’ve heard a lot about over the last few days is her “life of service”. This has been her pledge since the day she was made queen, and it puts to shame other nobility (let’s mention no names) who feel that being royalty is much more like being in a Disney movie than mixing with ordinary folks. 

There’s been so much change in the last week, I think it will take months to adjust. I pray that you will treasure the memories you have, and learn from this quiet woman of faith. We will need all of her God-given qualities in the days to come.