Bells toll as nation stops to mourn

Australians woke on Friday to the news they had been long ­expecting but hoped would never come: that Queen Elizabeth II had died.

His Excellency General the Honourable David Hurley AC DSC (Retd), Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia, signs the Condolence Book for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II at Government House. Picture: Government House via NCA NewsWire

In Sydney, the bells of St Andrew’s tolled for 16 minutes, one chime for every year of Queen Elizabeth’s magnificent 96-year life.

In Melbourne, a busload of residents from an aged-care home travelled to the gates of Government House at the Domain, laying floral tributes along the driveway.

And in Canberra, a sprig of ­wattle was placed on parliament’s honey-bee hives, as the ancient English tradition of “telling the bees’’ of the passing of their keeper was quietly honoured in the bushland around Parliament House.

Parliament’s chief beekeeper, volunteer Cormac Farrell, placed the tribute, and posted a photograph to Twitter, writing: “Sincere condolences on the passing of HRH Queen Elizabeth II. She was herself a beekeeper and in keeping with tradition the Australian parliamentary bees have been told of her passing.’’

Australians woke on Friday to the news they had been long ­expecting but hoped would never come: that Queen Elizabeth II, Australia’s head of state, had died at her Scottish home, Balmoral.

Such announcements used to be made via a black-bordered ­notice posted on the gates of Buckingham Palace in London. But in the modern age, official confirmation came via a tweet from the royal family’s account at 3.30am AEST: the Queen had died several hours earlier. Precisely one minute later, a statement confirming the monarch’s death was ­issued by her representative in Australia, Governor-General David Hurley.

For those Australians not awake and scrolling at such an hour, the first sign something was amiss may have come as they turned on their televisions.

The ABC, Seven, Nine and Sky News went to blanket coverage of the Queen’s passing, the morning breakfast hosts dressed in dark colours and the men wearing black ties.

Most networks dropped all paid advertising and promotions to focus on the biggest news story in the world.

The nation’s newspapers, ­including The Australian, began publishing special online editions at 6am, ahead of special print editions on Saturday.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, dressed in a black suit and a black tie, made a statement to the ­nation at 6.30am, officially advising of the monarch’s death in a televised address carried on all channels. It ran for five minutes and 17 seconds.

Across the nation, flags were lowered to half-mast, on town halls, police stations, parliament and government buildings, RSL venues, defence force bases, libraries and schools.

Queen Elizabeth was the head of the Church of England, and mourners were drawn to the historic Anglican St Andrew’s Cathedral in Sydney, where a queue stretched on to the footpath as people lined up to sign a condolence book. Prayers for the royal family were held at 11.50am, ­shortly before the bells began to toll at midday.

City workers paused as the ­cathedral bells kept time with the bells in the neighbouring Town Hall, tolling 96 times at 10-second intervals, to mark the end of the 96-year Elizabethan era.

Condolences books placed in Parliament House in Canberra and in churches and government offices across the nation also drew crowds.

At the sunset in Canberra, the Australian Defence Force staged a 96-gun salute for Queen Elizabeth. Large crowds gathered in ­silence at the nation’s capital at 5pm as the salute was carried out on the forecourt of Parliament House by the Federation Guard using six M2A2 105mm howitzer ceremonial guns.

Mr Hurley, who was in South Australia when the news broke and returned to Canberra to address the nation last night, said the news of the Queen’s death “while we knew it to be inevitable, has still shocked, prompted reflection and an outpouring of affection”.

“When my phone rang at 1.38 (2.08am AEST) in Adelaide this morning I had a sense it was news I desperately didn’t want to hear,’’ he said.

“Since then, millions of Australians and indeed billions around the world have been reflecting on Her Majesty’s remarkable reign.’’

The sails of the Sydney Opera House, which was opened by the Queen in 1973, were illuminated on Friday night with photographs of the monarch over her reign.

Melbourne landmarks were lit in royal purple, including in Chinatown, bridges across the Yarra, the Town Hall, Flinders St Station, the Shrine of Remembrance and The Royal Exhibition Building.

The MCG, which was to host the AFL semi-final between Melbourne and Brisbane, was also to be lit in purple.

In Perth, evening prayers were to be held at St George’s Cathedral for the Queen and new King Charles.