Ah, what a week. Blockades, panic buying, shuttered petrol pumps. On Friday, with a rush of relief, I dived into The Crown.

We’d had days of anxiety. Airwaves and television screens aflame with outrage. Blame sloshing around like firemen putting out a blaze.

The wind howled, the rain beat down, tailbacks expanded, petrol stations ran out of fuel, protesters dug in their heels, and a nation held its breath.

After three days of it, I gave up and switched on The Crown.

It’s a long series, six seasons, starting around 1947 with the wedding of Queen Elizabeth II to Prince Philip, and ending with the marriage of Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles in 2005. In between, it features iconic characters and a cascade of historic events, national and international.

But for me, what it boiled down to in the end was dignity and fortitude. The dignity with which Queen Elizabeth dealt with the hammer blows. The fortitude which kept her going. And the lessons her life can teach us.

Yes, I know The Crown is a fictionalised dramatisation.

But, how indomitable she was! The calm resilience, the stoicism and strength she displayed in the face of........

© Evening Echo