Like many British people I am feeling a deep sense of loss with the passing of Queen Elizabeth II. She had been such a fixture in our lives for so long it felt she would somehow go on forever. She was always there, so calm and reassuring. That’s why her death still came as shock even though she had reached the grand age of 96. Only three months ago this column was celebrating her Platinum Jubilee which was a joyous occasion prompting hundreds of street parties. Elizabeth regarded her work as the Queen as a serious job and worked tirelessly to the very end. It is a tribute to her that only the …