09.08.2022

Remembering Queen Elizabeth’s “Extraordinary” Wit

The White House has sent its condolences to the Windsor family. The Queen was of course Britain’s top diplomat and much more — she represented 14 other nations as head of state as well as carrying the responsibility to safeguard the “Special Relationship” that exists between the U.K. and the United States. Sir Kim Darroch, Britain’s former ambassador to the United States, reflects on the monarch.

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POPPY, IT'S REALLY STRANGE AND PROFOUNDLY SAD FEELING TODAY BECAUSE SHE WAS A MONARCH AS LONG AS I HAVE BEEN ALIVE AND IT FEELS LIKE ONE OF LIFE'S ANCHORAGES, ONE OF THE INFORMATICS TIRES IN THE LANDSCAPE AND IT COMES AS AN EXTRAORDINARY SHOCK WHEN THIS NEWS COMES THROUGH.

IT IS BEING EXTRAORDINARY.

THE MORE YOU THINK ABOUT IT, THE MORE YOU THINK HOW REMARKABLE HER CONTRIBUTION WAS.

BUT, FWOSH, ALSO SHE REALLY LIVED.

YOU, UNLIKE MANY OF OUR VIEWERS, MOST OF OUR VIEWERS, MOST PEOPLE IN THE WORLD WHO DIDN'T GET TO SPEND TIME WITH HER, YOU DID.

YOU SPENT TIME WITH HER DURING YOUR SERVICE.

AND I WONDER WHAT YOU CAN SHARE WITH US ABOUT THE WOMAN PERHAPS MANY OF US DID NOT SEE.

I WAS LUCKY ENOUGH.

WHEN YOU BECOME AMBASSADOR YOU SEE HER.

WHEN I WAS ADVISER I SAW HER A COUPLE OF TIMES.

AND TWO THINGS STAND OUT, POPPY.

ONE WAS HER EXTRAORDINARY DEPTH OF KNOWLEDGE ABOUT INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS.

I MEAN, SHE WAS ABSOLUTELY RAZOR SHARP, UP TO THE MINUTE WHAT WAS GOING ON AND HAD REALLY SHARP COMMENTS IN PART BECAUSE SHE HAD EXTRAORDINARY SHARP AND SHE WOULD READ A BATCH OF TELEGRAMS EVERY MORNING.

YOU BETTER HAVE READ YOUR TELEGRAMS BEFORE YOU SAW HER.

SHE WOULD CERTAINLY HAVE DONE SO.

THE OTHER THING IS HER WRY SENSE OF HUMOR.

IN PRIVATE, ABSOLUTE LACK OF LET'S HAVE A CONVERSATION AND LAUGH ABOUT THINGS.

I COULDN'T POSSIBLY REPEAT SOME OF THE THINGS SHE WOULD TELL BUT BENEATH THAT EXTERIOR FOR A MONARCH THERE WAS A REALLY SHARP SENSE OF HUMOR.

About This Episode EXPAND

In the wake of Queen Elizabeth II’s death, historian Simon Schama, former ambassador Kim Darroch and former MP Alistair Burt reflect on her legacy.

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