DEAR DEIDRE: LOOKING at the Royal Family, so visibly upset by the death of the Queen, I feel like such a fraud for crying.
Why do I feel so moved by the death of someone I had never met and didn’t know?
I feel personally devastated by The Queen’s death even though I never met her
I’ve always prided myself on being down to earth and I’m not a gushy person at all so why am I experiencing this grief that has crept up out of nowhere?
I am a 46-year-old woman and when my own mum died three years ago I didn’t react anywhere near as emotionally.
We weren’t close and in fact she treated me quite cruelly throughout my life; nothing I nor my children did was good enough, and she always put me down.
So why do I feel so strongly about the Queen – someone who has died peacefully and after a long and fulfilling life?
DEIDRE SAYS: You may not have met the Queen in person, but her constant and reassuring presence has been a thread running through your life.
It is entirely normal to feel grief for someone you have never met, because of course the Queen dedicated her life to our nation and we all feel a closeness to her as a result.
MORE FROM DEAR DEIDRE
As we collectively grieve, as a nation, it is worth being aware this moving time can be triggering – especially for those living with unresolved guilt.
It would be worth contacting Cruse Bereavement Care (cruse.org.uk, 0808 808 1677), who offer bereavement support, to help process the death of your mum.
