Queen Elizabeth II's death 'one of the saddest days of my life': Piers Morgan
King Charles III faces a challenge because his mother is 'irreplaceable'
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}British journalist and Fox Nation host Piers Morgan reflected on the 96-year life of Queen Elizabeth II, telling Fox News that Thursday was one of the saddest days of his life.
"I'll tell you why. It's because in America, you have presidents that kind of like your royal family in a way – each time they come along, but they're only ever there for a maximum of eight years, and then they move on," Morgan said.
"This queen has been on the throne of this country for 70 years. I'm 57 years old. She's been the only monarch I've ever had in this country. And she was already reigning the 13 years before I was born. She has straddled so much change in our society, here in our country."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Morgan pointed out Elizabeth ascended to the throne upon the death of her father, King George VI, and had lived through World War II as a princess, and then oversaw Britain through the tumultuous events between the war and today.
ROVE REFLECTS ON QUEEN'S PASSING, RECOUNTS MEMORABLE BUSH VISIT TO BUCKINGHAM
Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Charles in full court dress (Paul Edwards - WPA Pool/Getty Images)
"She's been through pandemics and terrorism attacks and natural disasters, you know, the tragedies which befallen the country or other countries. And whether she's been helping us to celebrate or whether she's been consoling us. She's been this constant rock of support."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Elizabeth, who was not born destined to become queen, but was placed in the direct lineage upon the abdication of her uncle, King Edward VII – who decided instead to marry Pennsylvania-born socialite Wallis Simpson and live privately.
Edward's brother George ascended to the throne, followed by his daughter in 1952.
QUEEN ELIZABETH THROUGH THE YEARS
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Piers Morgan. (Jonathan Brady/PA via AP)
Morgan later said leaders such as Elizabeth are "incredibly unusual" in global history. She was so well-loved that he quipped if she had pursued political office instead of the crown, "she would have won by a massive landslide and been the greatest prime minister we ever had because she had all the qualities you want from a leader."
He noted she met 13 presidents from Harry Truman through Joe Biden, excepting Lyndon Johnson.
"So she was gathering all that time this extraordinary amount of knowledge and wisdom about leadership from leaders and about the world. And it made her one of the wisest people I've certainly ever met," Morgan said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}HER MAJESTY QUEEN ELIZABETH II AND HER RECORD-BREAKING RULE AS THE LONGEST REIGNING BRITISH MONARCH
Britain's Queen Elizabeth, Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, along with Princess Charlotte, Prince George and Prince Louis appear on the balcony of Buckingham Palace. (REUTERS/Hannah McKay)
He called the monarchy a difficult-to-describe paradigm for people in America and other republics where the head of state and head of government are one and the same.
"But it really does [mean so much to us]. It's touched all of us. And I've shed a tear or two today, and I'm sure I will over the next few days, because she was really this country's grandmother."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Asked what he predicts for the reign of King Charles III, Morgan said he faces the challenge of living up to his mother's stature, adding that a great advantage for his reign is that he has been in a lifelong 73-year "apprenticeship" under her tutelage whether implicitly or explicitly.
"He was learning at the seat of the greatest monarch there's ever been. So I actually think Charles will be a very good king, albeit he'll face a lot of challenges about how to modernize the monarchy and move it forward and to keep it going now that we've lost this enormous light."