The death of Queen Elizabeth II has come as a great shock to so many of us in the UK, whether or not they supported the monarchy.  She had reigned for 70 years: the longest reign in British history, and one of the longest anywhere.  Most of us have known no other monarch and you have to be well into your seventies to actually remember her predecessor, George VIth.  Although approaching 100 years old and increasingly frail, she had such an air of permanence that it’s hard to believe she’s gone.

Of course, royalty never appears in person in the Saltbury books, but the Queen is mentioned with affection.  Here is an extract from Book 1, ‘Haze’ and a scene describing the first time Hazel sees Annie’s astonishing skill on the hockey pitch, while she and Tina are staring out of a window in the Chemistry lab of her rather old fashioned girls school, St. Ann’s.

            “Look at her go.”  I squeaked.  “Have you ever seen anything like it?”

            “Miss Fauld!” came a warning rumble from Dr. Black, who was inspecting another pair’s work on the other side of the room.

            “Sorry Miss.”

            All female teachers at St. Ann’s were addressed as ‘Miss’, regardless of marital or any other status – even those with doctorates.  Likewise all male teachers were ‘Sir’.  If the Queen herself had put in a few teaching shifts, she could forget about ‘Your Majesty’.  We would address her as ‘Miss’.