Ɖt’s ẃt a gd hed v stet z mnt t d, w r tld: b ɖr fr moṛl s’port in tîmz v naśnl imrjnsi, n ste ǎt v it in momnts v p’liticl uphivl. Bt ɖ les ś sd, or ɖ mor ś dd’nt se, ɖ mor ś inveḷpt ɖ cuntri in a slīpi, worm imbres v unriaḷti. Ɖt z gn nǎ.
Ɖr z a rīzn ẃ, ẃrvr y g in ɖ wrld or ẃtvr pônt y vizit in hisṭri, difṛnt pplz hu hv nvr bn in contact wɖ ć uɖr cm p wɖ ɖ sem consept v a hayr fors. Ẃɖr it z wn spirićl god or sevṛl aṇmist wnz, hymnz nīd t impoz a sns v lojic n hayr prṗs on ɖer uɖ̇wz sqolid xistns. Ɖ nir-diiḟceśn v ɖ Qīn intnṣfaid az ɖ cuntri pld frɖr apart. Ɖ Qīn’z most importnt rǒl, ɖ wn ɖt s’mentd hr az les a hymn n mor a deyti, wz hr soḟnñ ɖ bloz v los v empîr, v lowrd flagz, ivaketd c’lońl admiṇstretrz n dfitd trūps. Ś wz Britańa, stl impirịs, nt ɖ gre postwar poḷtiśnz graṗlñ wɖ osteṛti at hom n ɖ los v Britn’z sūṗpǎr steṭs abrōd. In ɖ royl faṃli’z wlʈ, pomp n granjr, inuf v a reẓdy v ɖt steṭs, so vîtl t Britn’z îdntti, indyrd. Ɖ juwl rmend in hr crǎn, f nt in ɖ empîr.
Ɖ mor ɖt steṭs freid, ɖ mor ɖ Qīn pṛtctd ɖ cuntri’z id. In riaḷti, ɖr wz no pīsfl empîr n gretfl Comnwlʈ, ɖt wz olwz a fix́n. Ɖ sún dd’nt set on ɖ empîr: okpeśn wz ijctd, ofn in bludi worz. An oltgɖr difṛnt acǎnt v coḷnîześn bgan t imrj ẃn ɖ ppl v ɖ coḷniz cem t Britn wɖ ɖer ic̣nomic, reśl n p’liticl leġsiz v empîr. Ẃn ɖ cuntriz v ɖ Comnwlʈ bgan t rmuv ɖ Qīn az ɖer hed v stet, ẃn cōlz t b mor onist abt ɖ past bgan t gro lǎdr. N ẃn ɖ royl faṃli bgan t b tōct v az a simbl v ɖ cōzz v ɖ cuntri’z hardwîrd iniqoḷtiz – vast inheṛtd wlʈ v dybịs oṛjin, sm v it linct t ɖ slevtred, screpñ clasdefṛns, bludlîn intîtlmnt n un’cǎntbiḷti.
Bt ɖ mor ɖ ćenj in ɖ cuntri’z culćr, claștrucćr n ic̣nomic profîl dmandd ɖz confṛnteśnz wɖ riaḷti, ɖ mor ɖ Qīn bcem a refyj. A repriznteśn v a fix́nl tîm ẃn ʈñz wr simplr: ẃn it wz Śecspir; Īnid Blîtn; ɖ spirit v ɖ blits; standñ alon agnst fasizm; bnefisnt tofs; a ćīci wrcñclas; ɖ welfér stet; ɖ swññ 60z; n frendli blac n brǎn fesz clīnñ ɖ florz n manñ ɖ wordz. Az loñ az ɖ Qīn xistd, so dd ɖt cuntri.
Ɖ riaḷti z ɖt, alñ wɖ ɖ nobl empîr, ɖt cuntri nvr riyli dd xist. N ovr ɖ Qīn’z rên, ɖ neśn’z vy v itslf olso bcem qsćnd evri tîm its poḷtics spat ǎt a ny dsfranćîzd ppl. Evri tîm a mîn wz clozd, a dprîvd eria raytd agnst ɖ p’līs, a foṛn cuntri wz ilīġli invedd, a beṇfit wz slaśt, ɖ “gret” cuntri’z naṛtiv wz tstd. Bt ɖz ćaḷnjz nvr stuc. N hvñ ɖ Qīn wz olwz sć a cumḟt, wɖ hr smîl, hr cloɖz, hr broćz n hr rićl ol frozn in ambr, nt gtñ drwn intu eni v it.
T ple ɖs steḅlîzñ rǒl, ś hd t b pṛtctd at ol costs, fr in hr rzîdd ol ɖ unrizolvd complexz v ɖ land – nstalja, a yrnñ fr oʈoṛti, a nīd fr a fixt pônt v refṛns – az Britn hrtld intu ɖ uņoun wɖ no ritn consttyśn n litl bt its past t dfîn it. Ʈru a comḅneśn v ḿtnis n loñjevti, ɖ Qīn srvist ɖz nīdz. Ś wz a constnt prezns in ɖ lîfspanz v olmst ol v Britn’z popyleśn tde. Ǎt v fmiliaṛti, imajinri bondz wr formd, a cnx́n uncompḷcetd bî evr fîndñ ǎt enʈñ riyl abt hr, streñʈnd bî ẃt flt lîc an ańl prsnl adres t y, n md fōlsli intiṃt bî ɖ fact ɖt ɖ dītelz v hr faṃli’z lîf – brʈs, maṛjz, dvorsz n deʈs – wr, n wl cntiny t b, rportd t y wɖ ɖ breʈlis jô, fymñ ofns n dīp sadnis bî ɖ pres az f ɖz ppl wr yr ǒn reḷtivz.
Ś olso bcem, in a cuntri wɖ stl, at hart, qt a cnsrṿtiv hîrarcicl culćr, a sort v jusṭfaybli n saṭsfayñli inforsbl red lîn. Ɖs wl b ispeṣ́li tru in ɖ cmñ dez az ś arîvz in Lundn fṛm Balmoṛl t lî in stet, n ɖ dmandz n p’līsñ v public mōrnñ wl nt b so difṛnt t ɖoz impozd in an abṣlut moṇci. Ẃn it cmz t ɖ Qīn, y cn meṇsñli b cōld t hìl in a we ɖt fīlz lîc it hz vri litl t d wɖ hr. W me nt hv ɖ wird defṛns fr ǎr poḷtiśnz ɖ we Americnz d, bt w d luv t tel ppl t cut it ǎt n śo sm rspct ẃn gvn ɖ ćans. Ẃn yr poḷtiśnz r layrz n y despṛtli nīd t b’liv in yr s’pirịrz, ẃn yr comn culćṛl tućstonz r sgmntd intu a miłn contentpṛvîdrz n ẃn yr xtndd faṃliz r fracćrd, ppl wont smʈñ t b secrid. Ppl wont ɖ srtnti n ɖ confidns t scold y n se, yes, evrʈñ els in modn Britn me b p fr grabz, bt nt ɖs.
Bt nʈñ z secrid. Nt ɖ Qīn, n nt hr faṃli, hu hv in rīsnt yirz bn rôld bî akześnz, frmli dnaid, v Prins Andru’z involvmnt wɖ an unḍej victim v sx́l traḟcñ, n v istet invstmnts in qsćṇbl fundz. N nt ɖ cuntri fr ẃć ś pṛvîdd nt a brij bt an aḷbî fr far tù loñ. Ɖt wz ɖ job ɖ Qīn cem t flfil in hr lêtr yirz: ɖt v a wmn hu śoud p ẃn ǎr public-hlʈ infṛstrucćr wz crumḅlñ, n plugd ɖ gap fr an absnt guvnmnt. Ɖr z a ʈin lîn btwn būstñ mral, n abzolvñ acts v man bî trītñ ɖm az acts v God.
I fīl sm v y flinć, dir rīdrz. I unḍstand. Sm mt ʈnc it z tù sn t spīc v imṗfx́n. Bt wɖ ɖ Qīn’z pasñ, w r abt t entr a ny ćaptr ẃr ɖ onli hop w hv fr a mor confidnt, chiṛnt cuntri z t spīc v ǎr imṗfx́nz mor. Ɖ Qīn z gn, n wɖ hr śd g ǎr imajind neśn. It z tîm fr hr t rest. N mor ɖn tîm fr ɖ cuntri t wec p.