The passing of the Queen is a seismic moment for the nation and the Commonwealth. We knew it had to come at some point, but somehow the Queen seemed eternal.
For three years, I am proud to say she was my boss. Not in the conventional sense perhaps. She did not give me an appraisal, send me emails with instructions or issue me with a P45 when I left.
But when I was recruited to work at Buckingham Palace back in 2009, tasked with working on the communications for the upcoming Diamond Jubilee, not only was it the start of an experience of a lifetime but I soon realised I was working for an institution whose head was respected, revered and loved throughout the world.
The first time I set eyes on her in the same room was at a reception linked to the State Visit by the President of India in 2009. Yes she was small but she had presence. Over subsequent years, I saw her at countless engagements, events and visits, near enough to overhear conversations, and to notice the decorum and dignity with which she conducted herself. My friend, the constitutional expert Vernon Bogdanor once explained to me: “The Queen meets thousands upon thousands of people and what you have to remember is that the occasion may be the most significant and memorable event in that person’s life but for the Queen it’s just another engagement.” The Queen may have been aware of this mismatch, but what was so special about her was that she made light of it, making each person she met feel special and important.
As part of the Palace Press contingent, we would usually arrive at an event a few hours before the monarch to make sure all media plans were in place. What we often encountered when we arrived at the school, hospital, factory, town square or wherever she was going was a sense of nerve-fuelled hysteria. The hosts, awaiting the Queen’s arrival, were understandably anxious to ensure that everything was perfect on the big day. Consequently, there was often a lot of tension in the air. A familiar pattern followed. The Queen’s Bentley would arrive, the monarch would climb out the car and smile, and suddenly the tortured atmosphere would be transformed into a relaxed and upbeat one.
I have memories of covering the Queen’s visits all over the country ranging from the valleys of Wales, the beauty of Edinburgh, idyllic rural locations in Northumberland, Hampshire and elsewhere in England and of course the many engagements she did in central London. These included state services at Westminster Abbey, the Chelsea Flower Show and many events at Buckingham Palace itself, with the grandest ones being held in the Ballroom. Whether she was meeting children or the elderly, pin-suited city types or country folk, aristocracy or recent immigrants, she was the same. She asked short questions, she listened and she smiled. She was a byword for consistency and stability.
Some of my strongest memories at the Palace relate to events involving the Jewish community. My all-time favourite was the Diamond Jubilee reception for different faith communities held at Lambeth Palace in February 2012. To see Rabbi Sacks congratulating the Queen in person was a special moment. Another abiding memory was when the then-President of the Board of Deputies, Vivian Wineman, wished her “to 120” at a “Privileged Bodies” reception in 2012, which provoked amusement and bafflement in equal measure. Two years earlier, it was a remarkable sight to stand close to two diminutive leaders with huge global reach, when the Queen hosted Pope Benedict at the Palace of Holyroodhouse.
During my time there, we had a number of briefings about plans for the Queen’s death, codenamed London Bridge. It was our good fortune never to have to roll out these plans at the time. Working in the Household required us to travel to the various Royal Palaces and Residences. Whilst I never carried out any official duties at Balmoral, we did rent a family cottage there on the estate one summer, and developed a sense of why the Queen so loved this bucolic location in the Scottish Highlands, which is where she ultimately spent her final days.
There have been signs of ailing health but the Queen managed to make her Platinum Jubilee, an incredible achievement and even swear in the new Prime Minister Liz Truss on Tuesday. It’s unlikely that her 70 year reign will be surpassed. Her appearance on the balcony of Buckingham Palace on the final day of the Jubilee Weekend felt like a momentous occasion. As it turned out sadly, it was a thank you and goodbye.
Many people are ambivalent or dismissive about their former bosses. It may be a stretch to call her my boss but I am proud to have worked for a leader, who embodied decency, humility and kindness. Leaving aside the formalities of her role linked to the constitutional, the Commonwealth and affairs of state, it’s the Queen’s qualities as a human being, as an “ubermench”, that will live on in the hearts of those who were privileged to work for her.
Zaki Cooper was Assistant Press Secretary to the Queen from 2009 to 2012.
