Queen Elizabeth the Great, 1926-2022
Queen Elizabeth II’s death at 96 has prompted a global outpouring of grief for Britain’s longest-serving monarch, whose reign was remembered as a constant of grace and dependability.
Queen Elizabeth II’s death at 96 has prompted a global outpouring of grief for Britain’s longest-serving monarch, whose seven-decade reign was remembered as a constant of grace and dependability in a period of unprecedented social and political change.
The Prince of Wales, 73, was at the Queen’s side at Balmoral Castle, Scotland, when she died late afternoon on Thursday (early Friday AEST) and immediately became King Charles III on her death.
Crowds flocked to Buckingham Palace to pay tribute to the monarch after news of her death was announced by proclamation on an easel at the forecourt of the palace and flashed through newsrooms around the country.
People sang God Save The Queen, and then God Save the King, and a rainbow appeared amid the pouring rain.
The Queen’s body is expected to be moved from Balmoral Castle to Edinburgh at the weekend before being taken to London where it will lie in state at Westminster Hall for several days before her funeral.
The Queen’s death will prompt periods of official mourning in Britain and Australia, and Anthony Albanese and Governor-General David Hurley will travel to London to join other world leaders at the Queen’s funeral, which is expected in about 10 days.
Princess Anne was also at the Queen’s side when she died, but the heir to the throne, Prince William, along with the Queen’s sons Prince Edward and Prince Andrew, and Edward’s wife Sophie, who was a favourite of the Queen, arrived too late.
Prince Harry also made his way to Scotland and arrived several hours after the public pronouncement of his grandmother’s death.
Kate, who in time is expected to be named the Princess of Wales, stayed in Windsor to pick up the now second in line to the throne, Prince George, and his siblings from their first day at a new school.
On Saturday the King will be formally anointed as the monarch by the Accession Council, which includes Australia’s acting high commissioner to the United Kingdom, Lynette Wood.
“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,’’ said King Charles in a statement.
“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.”
King Charles said that during this period of mourning and change, he and the family would be comforted and sustained “by our knowledge of the respect and deep affection in which the Queen was so widely held’’.
The Queen’s funeral is expected to be held in about 10 days, with heads of state from around the world attending.
To the end, the Queen was fulfilling her lifelong promise to serve: just 48 hours earlier, with a beaming smile and holding her beloved handbag in one hand, her walking stick in another, the Queen had accepted the resignation of one prime minister and anointed another.
Joe Biden ordered American flags to be flown at half mast, as he marvelled at the Queen’s grace, an unwavering commitment to duty, and the incomparable power of her example. The US President predicted her legacy would loom large in the pages of British history, and in the story of our world.
“She was a stateswoman of unmatched dignity and constancy who deepened the bedrock alliance between the United Kingdom and the United States,” Mr Biden said. “She helped make our relationship special. The seven decades of her history-making reign bore witness to an age of unprecedented human advancement and the forward march of human dignity.”
Mr Albanese praised the Queen’s contribution to Australia and the Commonwealth.
“It’s remarkable that our country is just 121 years old and that for 70 years the Queen has reigned, (she) has made an extraordinary contribution to the United Kingdom but also to the Commonwealth. She was an adviser to 16 prime ministers and 16 governors-general during her reign.
“She was a constant through that era of change. We are living in a fast-changing period of human history.”
British Prime Minister Liz Truss, in just her second day in the job, said the Queen was the rock on which modern Britain was built. “We are all devastated by the news we have just heard from Balmoral,” she said. “The death of Her Majesty the Queen is a huge shock to the nation and to the world … She was the very spirit of Great Britain – and that spirit will endure.”
Former British prime minister Boris Johnson, who used to have weekly audiences with the Queen, said her death was even more profound than he expected.
“She seemed so timeless and so wonderful, we all came to believe like children that she would just go on and on … it is only now we grasp how much she meant to us, how much she did for us, how much she loved us,’’ he said.
Mr Johnson called her Elizabeth the Great.
Charles’s coronation is not expected for several months. Clarence House said the new King would adopt the regnal name of Charles III, the first king of that name since 1685. The first public proclamation of the new monarch will be read in the open air by the garter king of arms outside St James’s Palace on Saturday, after which Charles will read a declaration and take an oath to preserve the Church of Scotland and swear to maintain the established Protestant succession in relation to the Church of England.
An accession carriage procession of the Household Cavalry will pass through the streets of London lined with troops, to the three other sites for royal proclamations: the statue of Charles I on the site of the original Charing Cross, Chancery Lane and the Royal Exchange.
National post and transport strikes were cancelled for the period of official mourning, expected to be up to 12 days for the nation, and seven days after the funeral for the royal household.
More Coverage
Former SA Lib leader Speirs steps down after drugs charges
South Australia’s former Liberal leader David Speirs will quit parliament after being charged over drugs offences when armed police raided his home.
‘Toe the line’: Iran envoy hauled into DFAT for second time
Tehran’s top diplomat has been called in by the government after The Australian revealed he praised dead terrorist Hassan Nasrallah, a move the opposition says will not make a difference.