The Other Side of the Flag

A small group clustered on the outer deck of the ship, watching the dock and shoreline slowly recede. On one side of me stood the next King of England; on the other, ‘The Best Prime Minister Britain Never Had.’ Beers in hand, we listened as the familiar strains of Rule, Britannia! rose from the crowds ashore and from the countless small craft dotting the harbour. The Royal Yacht of the same name slowly departed from the last vestige of the British Empire, mere minutes after Hong Kong was handed