Actress Dame Sheila Hancock, 93, has said she misses the late Queen Elizabeth II “more than ever” in a reflection on her life and the impact the monarch had on the UK.
Writing for Prospect, the actress reflects on the four years since the Queen's death, noting how much has changed in that time.
A Promise Kept Until the End
Dame Sheila recalls the promise made by Princess Elizabeth at the age of 21, when she declared that her whole life, whether long or short, would be devoted to service. The actress notes that the Queen was indeed working up until the day she died, aged 96.
Queen Elizabeth II died peacefully in 2022 at Balmoral, her Scottish estate where she had spent much of that summer. She was the UK's longest-serving monarch, reigning for 70 years after coming to the throne in 1952.
Reflecting on a Changing World
In her reflection on the monarchy today, Dame Sheila describes the Queen as seeming “a very ordinary woman,” yet one who met everybody of importance in the world over the last 50 years. She adds that there is no one else who can claim that, and that all of them seemed to respect and admire her profoundly.
Dame Sheila concludes: “I for one miss the Queen’s sensible, caring, dutiful presence. I felt safer when she was around.”
