“Dear Queen - here’s your first born male.”

As it happens, I was on my way to a choir practice when I heard the sad news of her death.

The choir acknowledged the moment by singing the national* anthem with the first verse only, and the pointed agreement that it would be 'our gracious queen’ not ‘king’. An alto was tearful and got a hug from another alto. A few didn’t take part in singing, not many, and stood respectfully. I tried to remember the bass line and nearly got it.

Then we got on to the Bach, Purcell and Charpentier in the normal bustle of learning notes and words.

Singing the anthem seemed dignified and meant a lot to many there.

As a kid, I watched the jubilee procession from the British Council building near Admirality Arch. That’s the closest I got. The Sex Pistols’ 'God Save the Queen' was fraudulently kept off the number one spot, as we were all too aware. That’s probably about it for my awareness of the royals.

But I claim that I may have saved Prince Phillip’s life a few years ago, when he was very frail. I like to scandalise republican friends with that story (which happens to be true).

I have never once watched the Queen's speech at Christmas, it wasn't a thing in my family. And I find the opening of Parliament a symbollic act of humiliation and lesson in servility, and can't bear to watch that.

In contradiction to the law, I proudly call myself a citizen of the UK, not a subject of the Monarch. And would welcome a legal challenge to…