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Queen Elizabeth dead at 96, Buckingham Palace confirms

Both Kyle and Jackie O were overcome with emotion as they reacted to the Queen's death during today's episode of their radio show.  

Britain feeling 'collective seismic shock' amid Queen's death: Piers Morgan

Britain is in mourning today with news that Queen Elizabeth II has died peacefully at the age of 96, ending her time as Britain's longest-reigning monarch. 

Her Majesty passed at Balmoral Castle in Scotland, with close members of her family by her side.

"The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon. The King and The Queen Consort will remain at Balmoral this evening and will return to London tomorrow," Buckingham Palace said in a statement.

Our live blog is no closed - read below for our archived posts, starting with Aussie radio hosts Kyle and Jackie O's emotional reactions to the Queen's death on-air this morning. 

Updates

Jackie O breaks down on-air

It was an emotional episode of The Kyle and Jackie O show this morning, with both hosts big fans of the Queen, and both audibly emotional throughout the episode.

Jackie O in particular could be heard breaking down in tears several times as they devoted the entire episode to discussing the monarch's passing.

I feel like a family member has died," Sandilands said. "It's a sad day. A lot of people will be feeling that pain a lot."

Jackie O on-air this morning.
Jackie O on-air this morning.

A tearful Jackie O said she had felt the Queen would not live much longer ever since the death of her husband, Prince Philip, last year.

"I knew she would pass soon after that. That was the saddest thing to see when she was at his funeral on her own," she said.

"When you saw her at his funeral sitting there by herself and you just knew…" she continued, breaking down in tears.

'One of the most significant deaths in human history'

"Probably not a single death in human history will be as widely felt as that of Queen Elizabeth II."
So says former Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott in an op-ed published by the Australian this morning.


Tony Abbott meets the Queen.
Tony Abbott meets the Queen.

He notes that, given her 70-year reign as British monarch, "there’d hardly be anyone, anywhere unfamiliar with her."

"Almost no one alive today can remember a world without the Queen. That’s why her passing will leave billions of people feeling numb," says Abbott.

And as for the Queen's son, now-King Charles? "Out of respect for the Queen, I’m sure Australians will want to give him a fair go," Abbott writes.


The last time Britain lost a reigning monarch...

Was in 1952 when Queen Elizabeth's father, King George VI, died at the age of 56, leaving his daughter to become Queen at the age of just 25.

The New York Times has dug up their historic front page from that event today – incredible to think that Queen Elizabeth has reigned from that day 70 years ago until now:

The cover of The New York Times, February 7, 1952.
The cover of The New York Times, February 7, 1952.

Meanwhile, Clarence House has today confirmed Prince Charles' new title: He will now be known as King Charles III.

England closes up shop

As Britain enters a period of mourning, high-end department store chain Selfridges has announced it will close its doors tomorrow (that's Friday, UK time).

"Our thoughts are very much with the Royal Family at this time, as the country comes together to pay tribute and remember Queen Elizabeth II," the iconic brand announced.

"As a mark of respect, our stores are now closed, and we will remain closed on Friday 9 September. We will reopen our stores again as normal on Saturday 10 September."

Twitter removes professor's shocking tweet

Twitter has removed a post from a prominent linguistics professor at a US University, who said of the Queen, "“may her pain be excruciating.”

Uju Anya tweeted to her 88,000-odd followers that the British monarchy is a “thieving raping genocidal empire” and wished pain upon the late Queen, in posts which Twitter removed for violating community guidelines.

Anya's outburst caught the attention of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos before it was deleted:

Anya hit back at the billionaire in a stinging response, telling him: "May everyone you and your merciless greed have harmed in this world remember you as fondly as I remember my colonizers."

Anya explained her dim view of the monarchy in a follow-up tweet:

The Crown to pause production

The Queen's death comes ahead of the upcoming fifth season of Netflix's hit royal historical drama The Crown, which is scheduled to hit the streaming platform in November. And sources close to the show's creator, Peter Morgan have today told Variety that the show will "likely stop production" as a mark of respect for the Queen's passing.

Imelda Staunton plays The Queen in season 5 of The Crown.
Imelda Staunton plays The Queen in season 5 of The Crown.

It's unclear how close to finishing the production was, given it is only two months from airing, and if this will delay the scheduled November premiere. The show's fifth season will see Imelda Staunton portraying of the Queen, charting the royal family's difficult 1990s as they endured frequent tabloid scandals and the death of Princess Diana.

Sunrise and Today hosts break the news

Both Seven's Sunrise and Nine's Today started at the earlier time of 4:30am today, bringing any Aussies watching the news that the Queen had died overnight, our time.

"Hello Australia, you are waking up to the sad news the Queen has died overnight," Sunrise co-host David Koch said.

Karl and Ally break the news to Aussies.
Karl and Ally break the news to Aussies.


"It's the day we knew was inevitable but hoped would never come.'"

Over on Today, hosts Karl Stefanovic and Ally Langdon also broke the news, with Stefanovic sharing his own memories of a brief meeting with the monarch over a decade ago.

“I just completely went to water when I shook her hand," he said.

Harry and Meghan's simple tribute

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have issued their first public tribute to the Queen, updating their Archewell website to a black page with a simple yet touching message: "In loving memory of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. 1926-2022."

Harry and Meghan's tribute to the Queen.
Harry and Meghan's tribute to the Queen.

The tribute comes as the couple are currently on a visit to the UK. After the Queen's death was announced, Harry was photographed rushing to Balmoral to be with his family – Meghan has stayed in London.

Moment BBC anchor learned of Queen's death

The Queen's death was announced by BBC newsreader Huw Edwards at 6:30pm local time. Moments earlier, Edwards told viewers he was anticipating a statement from the Palace about what medical treatment the Queen was receiving – but then he took a pause to process the new information.

Huw Edwards learns, then relays, the news.
Huw Edwards learns, then relays, the news.

"A few moments ago, Buckingham Palace announced the death of Queen Elizabeth II," he announced, reading the rest of the Palace statement.

"To recap on the statement: The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon."

Harry heads to Balmoral solo

Prince Harry, currently in the UK on a short visit with wife Meghan, has been photographed leaving Aberdeen Airport for Balmoral, where the Queen died and the family is gathering.

A sombre Harry travels to Balmoral.
A sombre Harry travels to Balmoral.

In the Queen’s final hours, her family members flocked to her side at Balmoral Castle in Scotland. But some were absent: Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton among them. Sources say Meghan will stay in London as Harry makes the journey to pay his respects to his grandmother alone.

Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge has also stayed in London with George, Charlotte and Louis for their first day at school, a spokesman confirmed.

Read related topics:Queen Elizabeth II

Original URL: https://www.news.com.au/entertainment/celebrity-life/royals/queen-elizabeth-under-medical-supervision-amid-escalating-fears-for-her-health-charles-and-william-rush-to-her-side/live-coverage/5467c7b3036f734611befd0f4e7cc3af