‘Profound mourning’ as Queen Elizabeth dies aged 96
The royal family is in “profound mourning” after Queen Elizabeth died aged 96, just two days after her final official engagement.
Queen Elizabeth has died “peacefully” at Balmoral Castle in Scotland after Buckingham Palace revealed she was under medical supervision amid escalating concerns for her health.
The Royal Family confirmed her death around 6.30pm local time (3.30am AEST). She was 96 years old.
King Charles – who immediately ascended the throne following his mother’s death – issued a statement about the royal family’s devastating loss.
“The death of my beloved Mother, Her Majesty The Queen, is a moment of the greatest sadness for me and all members of my family,” His Majesty said.
“We mourn profoundly the passing of a cherished Sovereign and a much-loved Mother. I know her loss will be deeply felt throughout the country, the Realms and the Commonwealth, and by countless people around the world.
“During this period of mourning and change, my family and I will be comforted and sustained by our knowledge of the respect and deep affection in which The Queen was so widely held.“
The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon.
— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) September 8, 2022
The King and The Queen Consort will remain at Balmoral this evening and will return to London tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/VfxpXro22W
Thousands of grieving members of the public quickly gathered outside Buckingham Palace as news of Britain’s longest-reigning monarch’s death spread.
According to reports, the crowd broke into a solemn rendition of “God Save The Queen” when it was announced.
Flags outside the Palace have been lowered to half mast.
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The notice came in the traditional form of a formal message placed on an easel on the railings outside the Palace.
It read: “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.”
Meanwhile, there were reports of a rainbow behind the Queen’s home of Windsor Castle following news of her death.
At Windsor Castle, the Queen’s much loved home, a rainbow has just appeared and the flag has been lowered. pic.twitter.com/Vh1c8UiJhO
— Helena Wilkinson (@BBCHelena) September 8, 2022
It’s understood the Queen’s body will be taken from Balmoral to Edinburgh on Friday morning, local time, before beginning the journey south to London.
During the 10-day mourning period, the Queen’s coffin will lie in state at Westminster Abbey for the public to pay their respects for 23-hours a day, after which she will be given a full state funeral, led by the Archbishop of Canterbury.
In the lead up, the 10 pallbearers will practice carrying her coffin as members of the royal family are buried in lead-lined coffins.
Earlier on Thursday, Buckingham Palace had issued a rare statement about her declining health.
“Following further evaluation this morning, the Queen’s doctors are concerned for Her Majesty’s health and have recommended she remain under medical supervision,” the palace said in a statement released on Thursday night, Australian time.
“The Queen remains comfortable and at Balmoral.”
All of the Queen’s four children — Prince Charles, 73, Princess Anne, 72, Prince Andrew, 62, and Prince Edward, 58, — arrived at Balmoral, the royal family’s estate in Aberdeenshire, in Scotland before her death was announced.
Her grandsons Prince William, 40, who becomes the new heir to the throne, and Prince Harry, 37, also rushed to be by their grandmother’s side.
Her Majesty – whose main residence is in Windsor – had been staying at her beloved Scottish summer home since July.
A Range Rover being driven by Prince William and carrying Prince Andrew, Prince Edward and Edward’s wife Sophie was seen pulling into Balmoral Castle around 5pm local time.
The group had jetted into Aberdeen airport from RAF Northolt in South Ruislip, west London, before making the one hour car trip to Balmoral.
The Princess Royal was already visiting when the Queen’s health declined and Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, 75, was also there, royal officials confirmed. Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, 40, was reportedly remaining at home in Windsor to be with the couple’s young children during their first week back at school.
Prince Harry, who is visiting the UK for work and charity commitments with his wife Meghan Markle, 41, was separately en route to Balmoral. It’s not clear if he made it in time to say goodbye to his grandmother before she died. The Duke of Sussex was due to speak at the WellChild Awards in London on Thursday afternoon before flying home with Markle to be reunited with their children in California. The Duchess of Sussex did not travel to Balmoral and will reportedly remain in London on Thursday. She will not appear at the WellChild event as originally planned.
Australia’s Governor-General David Hurley described the Queen as “a truly remarkable person”.
“When I reflect on my own memories – she was my Queen for my whole life – I think of Her Majesty’s dignity and her compassion,” he said in a statement.
“Her dedication and tireless work ethic. And her selflessness and unwavering commitment to the people that she served. To us.
“Her death will sadden all Australians and will be felt around the world.”
“As we mourn, we should also take inspiration from and give thanks for the remarkable contribution Her Majesty has made.”
It is with deep sadness that we learned of the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. On behalf of the 🇺🇦 people, we extend sincere condolences to the @RoyalFamily, the entire United Kingdom and the Commonwealth over this irreparable loss. Our thoughts and prayers are with you.
— Володимир ЗеленÑький (@ZelenskyyUa) September 8, 2022
The whole country will be deeply concerned by the news from Buckingham Palace this lunchtime.
— Liz Truss (@trussliz) September 8, 2022
My thoughts - and the thoughts of people across our United Kingdom - are with Her Majesty The Queen and her family at this time.
Barriers were reportedly being put up outside Balmoral Castle as members of the royal family gathered by the Queen’s side and crowds congregated to the area.
In London, the traditional ceremony of the Changing of the Guard, which was due to take place outside Buckingham Palace on Friday morning, was called off.
The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon.
— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) September 8, 2022
The King and The Queen Consort will remain at Balmoral this evening and will return to London tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/VfxpXro22W
UPDATE: Prince William, Prince Andrew, Prince Edward and Sophie Wessex have just landed on an RAF plane at Aberdeen airport.
— Chris Ship (@chrisshipitv) September 8, 2022
The drive from there to Balmoral is about an hour.
Barriers are being put up outside Balmoral.
— Allie Hodgkins-Brown (@AllieHBNews) September 8, 2022
I can’t even imagine Britain without this Queen.
— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) September 8, 2022
Very unsettling day.
The Queen’s death came one day after the she postponed the Privy Council meeting and her doctors ordered her to rest.
The proceedings would have seen newly sworn-in UK Prime Minister Liz Truss take her oath as First Lord of the Treasury and new cabinet ministers sworn into their roles.
LIVE COVERAGE: Follow our blog on this developing story
The Queen appointed Ms Truss as Prime Minister at Balmoral on Tuesday, instead of travelling to London for the event.
It was the first time in the Queen’s 70-year reign that the ceremonial transfer of power was held at Balmoral, rather than at Buckingham Palace.
She had been suffering from ongoing mobility issues and increasingly handed over duties to her heir, Prince Charles, and other senior members of the royal family in recent months.
The Queen had battled several health conditions over the past year, including Covid-19 and an overnight hospitalisation for what Buckingham Palace described at the time as “preliminary investigations”.
In the hours before the Queen’s death, Ms Truss tweeted that the whole country would be “deeply concerned” by the statement from the palace about the Queen’s health, adding her thoughts were with her and the royal family.
Opposition leader Keir Starmer also said that his “thoughts are with Her Majesty The Queen and her family at this time.”
“Along with the rest of the country, I am deeply worried by the news from Buckingham Palace this afternoon,” he tweeted.
Meanwhile Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle interrupted a speech during the energy debate to update MPs about the Queen’s health. “I know I speak on behalf of the entire House when I say that we send our best wishes to Her Majesty the Queen and that she and the royal family are in our thoughts and prayers at this moment,” he said.
British Historian Andrew Roberts told MSNBC that the all of the information “only points in one direction”.
“I’m afraid I believe the long life of Her Majesty the Queen is peacefully moving towards its close,” he said.
“The way the royal family is converging on Balmoral; the fact she had Covid in February and that she’s 96; the fact that she had to postpone at the last minute a Privy Council meeting that was on Zoom – all these things you take together and I’m afraid they only point in one direction.”
My prayers, and the prayers of people across the @churchofengland and the nation, are with Her Majesty The Queen today.
— Archbishop of Canterbury (@JustinWelby) September 8, 2022
May God’s presence strengthen and comfort Her Majesty, her family, and those who are caring for her at Balmoral.
My thoughts, and the thoughts of Canadians across the country, are with Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II at this time. We’re wishing her well, and sending our best to the Royal Family.
— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) September 8, 2022
Statement from Tony Blair on Her Majesty The Queen. pic.twitter.com/o2M09yzTZs
— Tony Blair Institute (@InstituteGC) September 8, 2022
Former Buckingham Palace press secretary Dickie Arbiter said there was every reason for people to be concerned about the Queen’s health.
He said that formally appointing Ms Truss as prime minister in the week would have “taken a bit of a toll” on her majesty.
“The mobility issue is not something to be sniffed at and it would have taken all her strength to remain upright to have Boris Johnson and his resignation and then to meet with Liz Truss the incoming and new prime minister,” Mr Arbiter told the BBC.
Holding a walking stick, Her Majesty appeared frail but smiled as she greeted Britain’s new prime minister for the traditional “kissing of the hands” ceremony on Tuesday.
Former BBC royal correspondent Richard Sumner said the careful wording of the palace statement suggested “something serious is possibly going on”.
“The whole policy of the palace has always been understatement and I’ve always suspected that possibly there was more than a mobility problem concerned here,” he told BBC News.
“When you’re 96, of course you can’t expect to have the health of a 25-year-old.
“Hopefully this is a passing storm that can be overcome but I think that judging from the careful wording of the palace something serious is possibly going on here.”
Mr Sumner added: “People who’ve seen her say that mentally she’s sharp as a tack and very interested in everything still.”
He said it seems “her body is giving out on her” – though it’s not clear “quite in what way or how badly”.
Queen Elizabeth II was England’s longest-running monarch, having reigned for 70 years.
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