The passing of Queen Elizabeth II brings to an end a 70 year period during which she was a symbol of stability and continuity for the country, defining post-war Britain.
The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral Castle in Scotland on Thursday afternoon, two days after receiving the new prime minister, Liz Truss, in the same location, in a change of protocol as by tradition new prime ministers meet the sovereign at Buckingham Palace in London.
The longest serving monarch in British history, the Queen was the head of state of 15 countries, and head of the 54-country British Commonwealth. She was the second longest reigning monarch in history, surpassed only by Louis XIV of France’s 72 year reign.
The official plans for her death, codenamed Operation London Bridge, have now been activated. The 15 countries for which she was head of state have entered a ten day period of mourning. On Friday a 96-round Death Gun Salute was fired at Hyde Park, with one shot for each year of the Queen’s life.
The Queen’s body will be taken from Balmoral Castle to Holyroodhouse, the royal residence in Edinburgh. She will then lie at rest in the Scottish capital for 24 hours at Giles Cathedral. After this, she will be transferred to London, where she will lie in state for about four days to allow members of the public to pay their respects.
The Queen will have a state funeral, the first to be held since Winston Churchill’s death in 1962. This ceremony is expected to take place at Westminster Abbey in less than two weeks, after which the royal coffin will be drawn by a walking procession to Wellington Arch, from where she will be transferred to Windsor Castle by hearse to be laid to rest in the Royal Vault at St George’s Chapel.
On Friday King Charles III gave a moving tribute to his ‘dear mama’, saying ‘13h ago
'May flights of angels sing thee to thy rest’. He highlighted her 70 years of devoted service and pledged himself to the ‘constitutional principles at the heart of our nation’, saying ‘I shall endeavour to serve you with loyalty, respect and love’.
Today, Charles will be officially proclaimed sovereign by an Accession Council at Saint James’s Palace in London. In this historic ceremony, Charles will make a declaration and swear an oath.
As his father accedes to the throne, Prince William becomes the new Prince of Wales and Duke of Cornwall
At a memorial service at Saint Paul’s Cathedral, God Save the King, the new version of the national anthem, was sung for the first time.
