Queen Elizabeth passed away peacefully at her residence in Scotland on Thursday at the age of 96. She was the longest-reigning monarch in British history, the head of the country, and a towering presence on the international scene for seven decades.
The new monarch, her eldest son Charles, said, “The passing of my dear Mother, Her Majesty The Queen, is a moment of the deepest anguish for me and all members of my family.”
The 73-year-old stated in a statement that “I know her loss will be greatly felt throughout the nation, the Realms and the Commonwealth, as well as by countless people around the world.”
The queen’s family hurried to Scotland’s Balmoral Castle to be by her side as word spread that her health was deteriorating just after midday on Thursday when her doctors said she was under medical monitoring.
A startled quiet ensued when the flag was lowered to half-mast in front of the prominent London landmark Buckingham Palace, where thousands of people had gathered. As soon as the sign about the passing of the only monarch that the majority of Britons had ever known was attached to the black iron gates, the mob rushed to the entrance.
King Charles III and his wife Camilla, the Queen Consort, will stay at Balmoral, according to royal officials, before travelling back to London on Friday, when Charles is scheduled to deliver a speech and meet with Prime Minister Liz Truss. The funeral’s specifics are pending confirmation. View More
Charles automatically succeeded to Elizabeth’s throne as monarch of the United Kingdom and 14 other nations, including Australia, Canada, and New Zealand.
The queen, whose husband passed away last year, has been forced to cancel almost all of her public appearances at the end of last year due to what Buckingham Palace described as “episodic mobility issues.”
The flag, like those at royal palaces and government buildings throughout Britain, was lowered as Truss spoke outside her Downing Street office. “The passing of Her Majesty the Queen is a profound blow to the nation and to the world,” she said.
Truss, who learned of the monarch’s passing at 4:30 p.m., said, “Through thick and thin, Queen Elizabeth II offered us with the stability and the strength that we needed. She was the very soul of Great Britain – and that spirit will endure. British time.
Not just people in Britain were shocked by the news; foreign leaders also expressed their sorrow.
In the words of British history and the history of our planet, “her legacy will loom huge,” U.S. In a statement, Vice President Joe Biden stated. He gave the order for the White House flags to fly at half-staff.
In honour of her passing, the mayor of Paris declared that the Eiffel Tower’s lights would be turned off. In Brazil, the government proclaimed three days of national mourning and the Christ the Redeemer statue was illuminated in the Union Jack’s colours. The United Nations General Assembly and Security Council also observed a moment of silence.
Even Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed his condolences, calling it a “irreparable loss,” even though his nation’s relations with Britain had deteriorated due to the conflict in Ukraine.
When her father King George VI passed away on February 6, 1952, Queen Elizabeth II, who was also the world’s oldest and longest-serving head of state, ascended to the throne at the age of barely 25.
The next June, she was crowned. The first broadcast coronation served as a preview of a new era in which media scrutiny of royals’ personal lives would grow.
She addressed her subjects on the day of her coronation, saying, “I have sincerely devoted myself to your service, as so many of you are pledged to mine. I shall endeavour throughout my life and with all my heart to be worthy of your confidence.”
She reportedly stands at just 5 feet 3 inches tall, but she commands whatever space she enters. She is renowned for her colourful attire and is quoted as saying: “I have to be seen to be believed.”
When Elizabeth became king, a sizable portion of Britain’s former dominion remained. It was recovering from the effects of World War Two, but food restriction and the dominance of class and privilege remained.
At the time, the Korean War was raging, Josef Stalin was in charge of the Soviet Union, and Winston Churchill was the prime minister of Britain.
Elizabeth experienced significant social upheaval and political change both domestically and internationally in the decades that followed. The struggles of her own family were played out in full view of the world, especially Charles and his late first wife Diana’s divorce.
Elizabeth strove to modernise the historic institution of monarchy while continuing to serve as a steadfast representation of stability and continuity for Britons amid a period of relative national economic collapse.
In a 2012 documentary, her grandson Prince William, who is now heir to the throne, remarked, “She has managed to modernise and evolve the monarchy like no other.”
Following Norman King William the Conqueror, who ascended to the English throne in 1066 following his victory against Anglo-Saxon king Harold II at the Battle of Hastings, Elizabeth was the 40th monarch in a line of kings.
She frequently shattered records for British monarchs because of her lengthy reign. She claimed that surpassing the more than 63 years her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria reigned for was not a goal she had ever set for herself.
She stated, “A long life can inevitably pass by many milestones, and my mine is no exception.
They had four children together: Charles, Anne, Andrew, and Edward, during the course of their 73-year marriage to Prince Philip, which lasted until his death in April 2021.
Critics claimed she came seem as distant and aloof since she never granted interviews to the media.
However, she was a figure who commanded respect and admiration from the vast majority of her subjects. Her passing signifies the end of an era.
According to former prime minister John Major, “the queen” was actually referring to our queen when others from over the world used that term. It was genuinely astounding the status she enjoyed throughout the world.
At the time of her death, the queen was also the head of state for Australia, the Bahamas, Belize, Canada, Grenada, Jamaica, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Saint Lucia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Tuvalu, the Solomon Islands, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Antigua and Barbuda in addition to the United Kingdom.
According to opinion surveys, Charles does not have close to the same amount of support, and it has been speculated that the loss of Elizabeth may lead to an increase in republican feeling, particularly in other spheres.
Pressure to depose the king as head of state and for Britain to make amends for its historical role in the slave trade has grown in certain former colonies in the Caribbean.
Niambi Hall-Campbell, a 44-year-old scholar who serves as chair of the Bahamas National Reparations Committee, said, “As the position of the monarchy evolves, we anticipate this can be a chance to promote discussions of reparations for our region.”
Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese declined to comment when asked in a radio interview whether the death of the Queen had brought Australia closer to becoming a republic.
“Today is a day dedicated to honouring Queen Elizabeth II, and only Queen Elizabeth II.”
