Sir Winston Churchill: [broadcasting his eulogy for the King] When the death of the King was announced to us yesterday morning, there struck a deep and somber note in our lives, which resounded far and wide, stilled the clatter and traffic of 20th century life, and made countless millions of human beings around the world pause and look around them. The King was greatly loved by all his peoples. The greatest shocks ever felt by this island fell upon us in his reign. Never, in our long history were we exposed to greater perils of invasion and destruction. The late King, who assumed the heavy burden of the Crown when he succeeded his brother, lived through every minute of this struggle with a heart that never quavered and a spirit undaunted. In the end, death came as a friend. And after a happy day of sunshine and sport, and after a goodnight to those who loved him best, he fell asleep, as every man or woman who strives to fear God and nothing else in the world, may hope to do. Now, I must leave the treasures of the past and turn to the future. Famous have been the reigns of our queens. Some of the greatest periods in our history have unfolded under their scepters. Queen Elizabeth II, like her namesake, Queen Elizabeth I, did not pass her childhood in any certain expectation of the Crown. This new Elizabethan age comes at a time when mankind stands uncertainly poised on the edge of catastrophe. I, whose youth was passed in the august, unchallenged and tranquil glories of the Victorian era, may well fill the thrill in invoking once more the prayer and anthem, God Save the Queen.
