Queen Elizabeth II was a role model for us all

My love for Queen Elizabeth has been as constant as her presence in our lives. As a young child I remember pouring over the pages of my mother's magazines, particularly the Australian Women's Weekly, enamored by her elegance.

I was 10 years old when the Silver Jubilee exhibition train rolled into town. It travelled more than 11,000km across Australia, for many of us in regional towns, it was as close to Buckingham Palace as we would ever get. My mother, sister and I queued for hours. I can't recall any details now, so many years on, just this sense of wonder and delight.

The same feeling I had in 2018 when the National Gallery of Australia held the blockbuster Cartier: The Exhibition. Diamonds and rubies belonging to women such as Elizabeth Taylor and Princess Grace of Monaco. For me her Majesty's halo tiara was the highlight (worn by Kate Middleton on her wedding day). OMG, those diamonds have touched her royal head.

Over the years I would collect special editions of the Weekly, love all the royal references in the Adrian Mole books, a favourite teenage read. I lost myself in The Crown, in films such as The Queen with Helen Mirren, one of my favourite pieces of popular culture, 10 years on, is the clip of the Queen with Daniel Craig's James Bond for the opening of the London Olympics.

I bet she had a right sense of humour. That Paddington skit too. Lol. Where's the marmalade?

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau gave an emotional speech in the early hours of the morning.

"She was thoughtful, wise, curious, helpful, funny and so much more," he said, visibly upset.

"She was one of my favourite people in the world and I will miss her so."

He'd met her several times, the lucky thing.

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I often wonder why, for the rest of us who never had the privilege, perhaps, as then-prime minister Robert Menzies said in 1963, paraphrasing the 16th century poem, we were just one of those people who saw her passing by, and yet we love her til we die.

What was it about Elizabeth, the woman, that set her apart? A woman of a certain generation who took the burden of duty seriously. Who lived a life in stark contrast to her children, their children, and all the shenanigans that followed.

I often wonder, again, what her day to day life was like. What was her favourite television show, did she even watch television. How did she take her tea? Did she get a bit flirty with Daniel Craig that day?

She was always on my list of people I would invite to that dinner party. I liked the fact she liked a punt and a gin before dinner. That she could ride and hunt and shoot. And rock a tiara.

We all grow up wanting to be princesses, but there was never anything princessy about her. Even in her youth, there was something steady about her.

I wonder how Charles, King Charles III is feeling today. Completely bereft by the loss of his beloved mother. Ecstatic that he finally gets to rule. Confused, sad, relieved, validated. At 73, finally starting the job he was born to do. I wish him and Camilla, a right royal favourite, all the goodwill for the coming weeks. What a way to get a promotion.

I'm a monarchist, you may have guessed. I hope Australians mourn appropriately before the conversation about whether or not we should become a republic is raised.

My 19-year-old was wondering what all the fuss was about. Why some people actually cared the Queen was dead. She's just some woman, he said, worried that he would lose a public holiday. I know his sentiment is probably similar to many trying to avoid coverage of this event. There will be many who don't care.

Yes, she was just some woman, a wife, mother, grandmother, ruler. But for me she was a constant, a reminder that there is some honour in duty and sacrifice. I will miss her. Our unprecedented days continue.

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