So the question of the week is this: was that the end of an era or does life continue much as before? The royal family clearly has much to reflect on but suddenly so do several members of Clive Woodward's England squad. Martin Johnson is still very much with us, looming large as ever, but his new role of bench-warmer is a cautionary tale for many of his team-mates.
Woodward, despite all his protestations to the contrary, has thrown a sizeable cat among his own pigeons. Not only that, he has taken deliberate aim at the biggest bird of the lot by refusing to rush Johnson back after his three-week suspension.
At the England headquarters in Bagshot yesterday he spelt out the situation in giant capitals for anyone under the illusion that this weekend's game in Rome has little to do with next year's World Cup. "We all know there are big things around the corner and my selection is making sure everyone clearly understands I'm going to pick this team on merit," he warned, citing players such as Steve Thompson, Charlie Hodgson, Ben Kay and Lewis Moody who were barely known a year ago. "In 12 months' time I believe there'll be another three or four names you've never heard of on this team sheet."
In other words no one is safe, not even Neil Back who, at 33, has pledged to run through multiple brick walls to reach one final World Cup. "I've never bestowed the captaincy on anyone for any length of time," insisted Woodward. The consequence is that England will fly to Rome today with four highly respected recent Test captains and Austin Healey, whom the Italian coach Brad Johnstone rates as the most talented individual in Europe, among their replacements.
Outside the panelled environs of the high court there has never been a bench of this distinction. After the team was announced a hasty count took place to discover if there were more caps among the replacements than on the field - not quite, but 339 Test appearances is quite something.
Some, such as Lawrence Dallaglio and Matt Dawson, are on the way back from injury and pawing the ground to start; others, such as Johnson and Healey, are quietly being reminded, as Woodward put it yesterday, that they inhabit a "brutal world".
Johnson, for all his 66 England caps and an unprecedented two Lions tours as captain, has clearly been shaken at a time, sadly, when his mother is in poor health. All he could do yesterday was try to recall past days when things have gone his way.
"I've been very fortunate, especially early in my career, to have got the breaks I did. It's part of being a rugby player. You win, you lose, you get picked and you don't. Just look around the England squad: Matt Perry has never done anything wrong for England and he can't get in the squad; Martin Corry was playing in Test matches for the British Lions last summer and he can't get in the 22; Mike Catt and Iain Balshaw have been dropped to the bench. It's competitive, isn't it? There's some good players out there."
Though pledging his full support for Back - "I'm happy for Backy, genuinely happy" - Johnson makes no bones about his revised goal. "It doesn't leave me thinking about the captaincy. It leaves me thinking about getting back in the team. That's the priority." Perhaps the biggest irony of the whole thing is that Johnson is the last man on earth to take anything for granted.
Woodward, though, has seen enough to believe that even the most remorselessly intimidating player of the modern generation is not exempt as he builds towards his 30-strong World Cup squad, which may yet include the Gloucester teenager James Simpson-Daniel, one of the stars of England's recent Hong Kong Sevens triumph.
"There's no hiding place from here on. We play all the big teams non-stop and I'm hoping all the current players have to play out of their skins. We've now proved we're prepared to make the right calls if we think it's the right call. No one can take anything for granted."
Even Healey, who may require minor knee surgery this summer, enjoyed no soothing words of consolation. "I don't think he's playing anywhere near as well or is in the sort of shape he was 12 months ago. He's not had a great Six Nations and he needs a break."
At least, as Johnson pointed out, replacements today are unlucky if they do not get on.
Dallaglio is also looking forward to using his Italian linguistic skills to order the post-match wine and, more importantly, to proving that one good game for Wasps against Leicester last Sunday was no mirage. "They don't get any harder domestically than that... Given that, I feel confident, comfortable and ready if required." Italy have been warned.
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