The end of an era.

As most of you probably know, Queen Elizabeth II died today. RIP.

She was admirably suited to the role of being, essentially, a living symbol of the nation. And she was able to keep it up successfully through many decades, even as Britain went through enormous economic, political, and cultural changes.

Whether her successor, the newly elevated Charles III (it was just now announced he will take that name), is equally adept at maintaining the institution of the monarchy, remains to be seen. The previous history of Kings named Charles is not entirely positive.

As a practical matter, the passing of the Queen will have relatively little effect even on the lives of people in the UK, much less elsewhere. It's been a long time since the British monarchy wielded more than minimal power. But it's still the removal of a fixture that has literally been there all my life. Only a small minority of people can remember a time when Elizabeth was NOT the Queen of England. Louis XIV is the only European monarch ever to have had a longer reign (and he came to the throne at the age of 5).