The Oldie is blessed in having many readers who are centenarians.
But even they would struggle to remember a time when the Queen – first as Princess Elizabeth of York, then as the Princess Elizabeth and then as monarch – wasn’t in the headlines.
For all our readers, the Queen was the background to their lives. Her departure leaves an enormous void. That void is even greater for our older readers. They will have seen so many public figures come and go during their long lives – but only one has remained there, ever present and ever constant.
The Oldie sends our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Her Majesty on the deeply sad news of her death.
Below, Oldie contributors pay tribute to Elizabeth II.