After 10 days of mourning and a period of solemn reflection the UK is beginning to return to the normal hustle and bustle of everyday life. What is evident however, is that as a society and a community when it comes to respect us Brits do everything exceptionally well. Let’s face it the Queen was and will remain brand Britain, the Royal Family are the assets that add equity to the brand, and in the last 10 days we have seen a number of creative executions that demonstrate the value that this brand adds to being British.

The Queen has been the Monarch for seventy years, just this summer as a nation we celebrated a platinum jubilee, where celebrities young and old, politicians old and new came together to bask in the glory and success of her reign. It was a party! Sadly, this week with the passing of Her Majesty we have had the opportunity to reflect on the positive material difference the Queen has made to British society. This is a Queen who rose to the throne before TV was in colour before mobile phones and social media and before electric cars were even deemed possible. The Queen reigned through an age of intense social, political and technological change and yet she remained relevant and that is uncommon for many brands.

The Royal Family has not been without its trials and tribulations, and these are magnified by the mere fact this this is a family whose sole purpose is to be visible, is to represent the best of Britain. The Royal Family although out of reach of most and aspirational to many is often considered every Brits extended family, we feel we know them, we are part of them, and they are part of us. This familial connection does not come with mutual reciprocity however, the Royal Family and the Queen have no idea as to what issues, foibles, or personal unpleasantries are impacting on most families. Yes, there is awareness of how matters of State, the economy or politics might influence the behaviour of the British people, but births deaths marriages and divorces amongst society are obviously not on the radar of the Royal Family.

Through seventy years of service and public scrutiny, the Queen never put a foot wrong, she was the epitome of class, she extolled elegance and earned rather than commanded respect. There have been scandals and media scrutiny, her children and grandchildren have often placed her in challenging situations, even compromising situations that could not have been comfortable for the ageing Monarch. Through it all she soldiered on with dignity, living and leading a life of service for the people. We should not forget that the Queen was thrust into service with the untimely death of her father, a very young woman in a Britain still recovering from a world war and a nation with high expectation, and a yearning for moral guidance. The Queen delivered!

A Queen for the people, is how she will be remembered, knowledgeable compassionate and empathetic. Respected by Heads of state and admired by children in nursery school. This was her talent, her gift. The Queen modernised with the times, having to come to terms with the fact that today her picture could be taken and shared via SMS around the world in less than a second. She adapted so well to the new technology that now placed her on every mobile phone and on every computer the minute she made an appearance.

Massive audiences now not only captured what she did but what she said, and along with this came the copious amounts of hate vitriol and opinion synonymous with social media. Through all of this Her Majesty remained dignified. Testimony to this are the millions of people globally, not only in the UK that have shared in the sense of loss Britain is experiencing. The thousands that peacefully lined the streets and stood in a queue to pay respects are typical of the British fortitude that the Queen extolled upon her subjects. Be dignified be respectful, lead a life of service. What a brand! What a legacy!