Queen Elizabeth II dies

It is an odd auld thing when you think of it. A contradiction in terms, the pomp and ceremony can be seen as reinforcing the system and appearance of strength of Britishness. A lot of it used to be done to subdue the colonies through the lustre of apparent greatness, glitz and the glamour.

To others, which many Irish people do not grasp (I used to be perplexed as well) the vast majority of ordinary British people view the Monarchy an extension of their British identity. And themselves as people. The British head of state is their proud apolitical representative on the world stage.

And all the pomp and ceremony is an important part of it. At their heart Britain, and in particular the English are a very conservative traditionalist culture. With a few obvious exceptions.

I just can't understand the sentiment that this is "sad". My grandmother died at the same age 2 years ago and all we could all think was what a great life, what more could you want. In terms of life expectancy and the quality of life to the end, my grandmother and QEII hammered the bookies.

I stopped watching and left the house at 1 o clock. I couldn't believe it was still going on when I got back at 4.45. BBC presenter referencing Paddington 🙄 and almost breaking down in tears.

Yeah, was wondering about the spread. They never announced it. Everybody knows you announce it at the burial never at the Mass!

From watching films and series, that's said at the deathbed. When the one in the bed expires and the fellow crying (or not) beside the bed becomes the King instantly.

Veg soup. Ham, ham and cheese, and cheese sambos on white or brown bread, tea or coffee. All back to the Queen's Corgi in Windsor, refreshments served from 6pm on.

Michael D might be organising a pee up and some of his poetry readings in the Irish embassy all courtesy of us.

Beats going to Saudi embassy as it would be pretty dry affair.

Of course the Germans won't be there as they will head to the Russian embassy to do spot of ar** licking to make sure the gas isn't turned off this winter.

I think the issue is also that many Irish people don't seem to accept that there is such a thing as a British identity and that there are so many aspects of that identity that British people are proud of, like the monarchy and their history.

Going back 300+ years you had the English civil war and glorious revolution.

Irish people can't get their heads around that because of what happened in Ireland, but what was happening was that "elected" parliamentarians were fighting against a despotic monarchy.

Something we would all be applauding in the current century.

I found the Windsor service a lot more intimate and moving than the one at the Abbey, especially the ceremonial parts like removing the crown and the orb from the coffin. The earlier one was almost a tad cold and impersonal in comparison.

They're giving us the highlights now, including weeping members of the public.