The Elizabethan age is over
The reign of Charles III will be ushered in with majestic pomp and ceremony.
The reign of Charles III will be ushered in with majestic pomp and ceremony.
Queen Elizabeth II, Australia’s head of state and the longest reigning British monarch in history, has died.
In news greeted with profound sorrow across Australia, the UK and other Commonwealth nations, the 96-year-old was pronounced dead on Thursday morning AEST, following several months of concern about her deteriorating health and weeks after joyous celebrations for her Platinum Jubilee which marked her 70 years on the throne.
Buckingham Palace announced the death of her Majesty at 3.30am AEST: “The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this evening. The King, Prince Charles and the Queen Consort will remain at Balmoral this evening and return to London tomorrow.”
On Thursday at lunch time (early Friday AEST) there was immediate alarm when Buckingham Palace announced the Queen was under constant medical supervision after concern from The Queen’s doctors.
Then followed some immediate worries expressed by the Prime Minister Liz Truss, in the House of Commons, who broke away from debate on a crucial energy announcement.
"God save The King".
— Sky News (@SkyNews) September 8, 2022
Watch in full as Prime Minister Liz Truss delivers a statement on the death of the Queen.
Read more here: https://t.co/ByKo3MtCyo
📺 Sky 501, Virgin 602, Freeview 233 and YouTube pic.twitter.com/CbfiDGzxCp
Australian leaders paid their respects online.
Former PM Julia Gillard - our first female leader - remembered the Queen as “strong and steadfast but also kind and [with] an engaging sense of humour”.
Gillard said the Queen had been a powerful presence for as long as any of us can remember.
I have just disembarked from a long-haul flight to learn the terribly sad news of Queen Elizabeth II’s death. My thoughts are with the Royal Family today and with all those affected by this news. She was a remarkable role model with an incredible dedication to service. pic.twitter.com/yCMtqNi9m2
— Julia Gillard (@JuliaGillard) September 9, 2022
Former PM Paul Keating also released a tribute.
Keating incensed the British press when the Queen visited Australia when he touched her back to guide her along during an official function in Australia in the early 1990s.
"In the 20th century, the self became privatised, while the public realm, the realm of the public good, was broadly neglected.
"Queen Elizabeth II understood this and instinctively attached herself to the public good against what she recognised as a tidal wave of private interest and private reward. And she did this for a lifetime. Never deviating," Keating said.
Federal parliament has now been suspended and will not sit next week to mark an observational period of mourning.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Governor-General David Hurley will travel to London for the funeral.
The Queen had last been seen in public, carrying out constitutional duties in meeting the outgoing prime minister Boris Johnson and then anointing Truss as the new British prime minister on Tuesday, but she was so exhausted she then cancelled a zoom call with the Privy Council on Wednesday.
The Privy Council would have seen her swear in Truss' new cabinet. A job that will now fall to King Charles.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have now had their titles automatically updated and are known as the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall.
Camilla is now Queen Consort. She will be crowned at Charles' coronation.
Prince William will take on the title of Prince of Wales. It's yet to be confirmed if Catherine will be known as the new Princess of Wales. The last person to hold that title was William's late mother, Diana.
Next comes the Queen's funeral.
Under Operation London Bridge, which is the detailed logistics plan developed over decades to deal with the Queen’s death, a sub-plan called Operation Unicorn is to be enacted because the Queen has died in Scotland.
Operation Unicorn
Those are the words uttered by the Queen's private secretary to alert the authorities that she has died.
The Queen’s body is to be taken from Balmoral Castle to Edinburgh on a special train and she will rest in state at the Palace of Holyroodhouse.
Her coffin will be then carried to the St Giles Cathedral on Edinburgh Royal Mile where it is anticipated people can pay their respects.
The Queen’s body will then be taken to Waverley Station in Edinburgh and placed on the Royal Train for carriage to St Pancras, where she will be met by Prime Minister Truss and members of her cabinet.
The first sign that all was not well with the 96 year old Queen was that a helicopter landed in Balmoral Castle on Thursday morning but left without its passenger, Prince Charles.
73-year-old Charles, the first in line to the throne, had left Dumfries House in Ayrshire where he was hosting a two day global symposium on allergies, organised by the Natasha Allergy Research Foundation, to travel back to Balmoral and see his ailing mother.
At the same time Princess Anne, who was also in Scotland carrying out royal duties, also arrived at Balmoral to be beside her mother.
What happens in Australia?
Lengthy plans were leaked to The Australian in June detailing the precise arrangements:
These plans included:
- A national day of commemoration, likely to be a public holiday
- Our prime minister, Anthony Albanese, to be informed about one hour before a statement is made announcing the death of the Queen
- Four official Australian mourners and 10 to 12 notable Australians will be invited to the Queen’s funeral
D-Day day will be followed by 10 days of mourning and remembrance, known as D+1 through D+10. This process is known as “the demise of the crown”.
Travel arrangements
- Two RAAF planes will pick-up Pacific leaders to transport them to London for the Queen’s funeral at Westminster Abbey. This is being referred to as “the milk run” and will ease the challenging transport logistics as leaders converge on London.
- The prime minister and the governor-general will travel in different planes.
Plans for the funeral
On the day of the funeral (D+10) Big Ben will chime at 9am.
The crown jewels will be cleaned that morning, before the coffin arrives at Westminster Abbey at 11am. The country will fall silent for two minutes at 12pm.
The funeral will take place at Westminster Abbey and there will be processions both in London and Windsor, with a committal service taking place at St George’s Chapel.
The Queen will be buried at the King George VI Memorial Chapel in Windsor.
Who is the next monarch?
The Queen’s son Charles will become King Charles III immediately after the Queen’s death, and members of the Accession Council will meet to officially proclaim him King at St James’s Palace at 10am on the day after the Queen’s passing.
Charles is the eldest son of the Queen and Prince Phillip, and is married to Camilla Parker-Bowles.
“It's not easy sometimes, but we do always try to have a point in the day when we meet," Princess Camilla told British Vogue last week, in an interview honouring her 75th birthday.
"Sometimes it's like ships passing in the night, but we always sit down together and have a cup of tea and discuss the day."
The royal couple were said to have had an instant connection when they first met at a polo match in 1970. Their close friendship was sustained throughout their respective marriages - Charles to Diana, Princess of Wales, and Camilla to Andrew Parker-Bowles - until their romantic affair became public to the press in 1992.
The Elizabethan age will end and the reign of Charles III will be ushered in with majestic pomp and ceremony.
Meghan Markle’s favourite face gym is opening in Australia, Greta Thunberg publishes Andrew Tate’s contact details
All the news that's fit to mint.
Emily Ratajkowski joins the competitive world of online dating, Nick Kyrgios quits at the last minute
All the news that's fit to mint.