THE BELL TOLLS FOR HER MAJESTY QUEEN ELIZABETH II

In Britain, the desolation on the Queen's passing is absolute.

- ANTONIA FILMER

In chess, the Queen is "the most powerful chess piece that each player has, able to move in any direction along a rank, file, or diagonal on which it stands". And so was HM Queen ElizabethII, moving seamlessly and respectfully between faiths and races, between Commonwealths and other countries, between cultures and commerce. In Britain, the desolation on the Queen's passing is absolute. Tributes flood in from world leaders and citizens who have been touched by her humanity and catapulted into grief. Not just an adored monarch but a consummate diplomat, who spent 70 years promoting social harmony and healing, talking sensitively around painful legacies, be it in Africa, India or Northern Ireland. The just departed UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, well known for his brilliant oration, gave a wonderfully fitting tribute in the House of Commons and explained the deep emotional and personal attachment felt by British people. This reporter has never known a United Kingdom that was not reigned over by Her Majesty. Every Christmas Day in living memory has been designed around watching the Queen's speech live at 3pm, and reflecting on the message wi