It is estimated that over 4-billion people tuned in to watch the funeral of HM Queen Elizabeth II - Making it the largest televised event in history.
Watch in full here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8xwqi_9GDs
Flags return to full mast today (20th September 2022) marking the end of the official national mourning period for the death of HM Queen Elizabeth II.
But for the estimated 4.1-billion people who watched yesterdays state funeral it will certainly remain the topic of conversation for some time yet.
Official viewing figures are yet to be published, but what's certain is the somber spectacle that was the funeral of the UK's longest serving monarch will never be seen again.
Over the week leading up to the funeral millions queued to see the Queen's coffin with some waiting in the 5-mile line for 24-hours.
Despite the national mourning period coming to an end today, the Royal Family will remain in a state of private mourning until September 26th 2022.
After this period the Royal Family will once again take up their official duties and the reign of HM King Charles III will begin proper.
Quite what type of king He will be is yet to be seen.
Charles III is, however, starting from a strong position. His mother's legacy is a strong one, and the country is certainly behind him.
In fact, the United Kingdom hasn't looked this united for many years.
This nation of ours, this United Kingdom, has weathered some turbulent times during the Queen's final decade on the throne resulting in us becoming a somewhat fractured nation with political and economic divides being wider than they have been for many, many years.
But the events of the past week has shown that these divides can be bridged. If we can come together as a nation to mourn the passing of our Queen, maybe we can extend that to other issues also.
It is the personal hope of your humble editor that this national healing continues. And this is where we, as Templars, can assist.
When we become a Templar we become servants of God, of our communities, and of each other. We are not Templars for just one weekend a year, we are Templars every moment of our lives from the moment of our investiture to the time we ourselves are called to higher service. This should always be at the back our minds and should be the driving force behind the decisions we make, and the things we do and say.
Every Knight and Dame of this Order of Knights Templar swore allegiance to HM Queen Elizabeth II and we should all continue to carry her example with us in all that we do. May she rest in peace.