Respect.
It can’t be given, it can’t be bought, or sold; it can’t be inherited, can’t be borrowed or loaned.
It has to be earned.
Yet respect - like reputation - can be easily lost. A role model for public behaviour with no time for mawkish sentimentality, our Queen was constantly in the public eye, yet kept that reputation, and maintained that respect.
Regardless of any personal feelings anyone may have about the relevance of a monarchy in the 21st century, Queen Elizabeth took on a job she didn’t expect, made it her own, and saw it through to the end.
She’ll be missed.
