Queen Elizabeth II died on Thursday (8), at the age of 96, at Balmoral Castle in Scotland, after her health worsened, according to official government sources.
Earlier, the royal family was hastily summoned to accompany Queen Elizabeth at Balmoral Castle, where the monarch had been on vacation for over a week. All four of the Queen of England’s children – Prince Charles, heir to the throne, Andrew, Anne and Edward, traveled there.
Until then, according to government officials, Queen Elizabeth 2nd was comfortable, but doctors had concerns about her health condition.
Official message posted on Twitter said that “The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon. The King and Queen Consort will remain at Balmoral this evening and return to London tomorrow.”
Queen Elizabeth has died after experiencing health problems
In power for seven decades, the Queen of England has died after experiencing a number of health problems in recent months and, as a result, cancelling a number of official engagements.
The most recent event was the appointment ceremony of Prime Minister Liz Truss, on Tuesday (6). On that occasion, Queen Elizabeth II moved the ceremony to Balmoral Castle, where she was for the first time in history.
Traditionally, all premiers are appointed at Buckingham Palace in London.
Truss said on Thursday about the announcement: “The whole country is deeply concerned. My thoughts are with her and her family at this time,” he declared.
A legacy of more than 70 years
In February this year the United Kingdom celebrated the 70th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II’s accession to the throne.
The monarch ascended to the throne at the age of 25, on February 6, 1952, following the death of her father, George the 6th.
Taking over a United Kingdom still recovering from the ravages of World War II, Elizabeth began a legacy considered by some analysts to be a ‘golden age’ comparable to the rule of her namesake, Elizabeth I, who ruled England 400 years ago.
Discreet and not in the habit of giving interviews, Elizabeth II has always avoided giving personal and political opinions, and has not made public her own assessment of her reign.
Since taking the throne, the monarch has seen changes of popes, presidents, prime ministers, the dissipation of the Soviet Union and the British Empire, and the creation of the Commonweath – the success of which many regard as a great achievement.
The Queen was born on April 21, 1926 and became heiress at the age of 10, after her uncle Edward VIII abdicated the throne, passing the crown to her brother, King George VI, Elizabeth’s father. At age 25, upon the death of her father on February 6, 1952, she became regent. On June 2, 1953, at the age of 26, she was crowned Queen of the United Kingdom.
She married in 1947, to the Greek prince, naval officer Philip Mountbatten, and they had four children: Princes Charles, Anne, Andrew, and Edward. Charles, the eldest, born in 1948, will be crowned as the next British king.
She was the longest serving queen as monarch in the entire history of the United Kingdom. According to information from the royal family, she has been involved, as a royal patron or president, with more than 600 charities, military associations, professional guilds and public service organizations.
In addition to serving as Queen of the United Kingdom, she was head of state of 14 other independent nations: Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Jamaica, Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Belize, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, and Tuvalu.
In her reign, she worked with 15 prime ministers, the first being Winston Churchill and the most recent Liz Truss, who took office a few days ago.
What happens after the death of Queen Elizabeth II
As the monarch with the longest reign in the world, there is an entire generation that has never known life without Elizabeth II. But first, several protocols need to be followed behind the scenes.
The Queen’s private secretary, Sir Edward Young, KCVO will be responsible for briefing the Prime Minister before the information is released to the other 15 countries where the Queen is head of state and the rest of the 36 Commonwealth nations. This is done by the Foreign Office’s Global Response Center at an unknown location in London.
The first time the public learns of the Queen’s death is when a notice is placed at the gates of Buckingham Palace. All staff members will wear a black armband on their left arm, which should measure three and a half inches wide.
A statement will then be released to the Press Association and other media. At this stage, the major TV channels will pull regular programs and the announcers will wear black suits and ties. Flash of blue light indicates to cut to the news as soon as possible and press coverage will begin.
As the Queen died at Balmoral Castle, the body will be transferred to Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh and then transported up the Royal Mile to St. Giles Cathedral for a memorial service. The public will likely line up to throw flowers on the Royal Train, which will take the body back to London for burial. London Bridge will be inoperative.
Before the Queen’s burial
There are expected to be 10 days between Queen Elizabeth’s death and her funeral. During this time, her body will remain at Buckingham Palace so that the family can spend time together. She will then be moved to Westminister Hall, where she will remain for several days so that the public can pay their respects.
More than 200,000 people visited the Queen Mother’s body in 2002. And then, on the 10th day, the body of Queen Elizabeth II will be transferred to Westminister Abbey for a state funeral. The funeral will be attended by state officials from around the world and will be coordinated by the Armed Forces and the Government.
Burial Day
The UK will have a national day of mourning (including the stock market) and Big Ben will sound at 9am on the day of the burial. The crown jewels will be cleaned that morning. Before the coffin arrives at Westminister Abbey at 11 am, the country will be silent.
Who takes over Queen Elizabeth’s throne
After her death, Prince Charles will become king – he is allowed to choose his own name and is expected to become King Charles III. At this stage, a meeting of the Accession Council will take place at St. James’s Palace and all the formalities will take place.
The now king has spoken out about the queen’s death: he said he is deeply sorry and that it is a “moment of great sadness for the United Kingdom.” According to the British newspaper “Guardian”, he will be officially declared king at St. James’ Palace in London, with no date yet set.
He will be named king one day after the Queen’s death and after his brothers ceremonially kiss his hand. Proclamations will be made, and he will visit Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Wales. His first words as monarch will take place at St. James’s Palace.
The coronation of King Charles III will be planned a few months after the funeral, and the title of Prince of Wales will pass to Prince William, but not immediately.
In Brazil President Bolsonaro decrees three days of mourning
President Jair Bolsonaro posted a note of condolence to the British royal family on Twitter. Bolsonaro stated, “She is an extraordinary and singular woman, an example of leadership.”
By legislation, during official mourning the National Flag is flown at half-mast in all public offices.
One of Queen Elizabeth II’s last official manifestations was precisely in relation to Brazil. She published a message, addressed to the President of the Republic, to congratulate the Brazilian people for the celebration of the 200 years of Independence. In the message, the Queen said she remembered with fondness the visit she made to the country in 1968.
In social networks, other Brazilian authorities expressed regret for the death of the British monarch, who was the longest-serving queen in the history of the Crown. “On behalf of the Brazilian National Congress, I pay condolences to the family and all the people of the United Kingdom,” wrote the president of the Senate, Rodrigo Pacheco.
The president of the House of Deputies also issued a statement. “In conveying our condolences to the British people and their royal family, I recall the historic links between Brazil and the United Kingdom, which date back to the first years of our life as an independent Nation and which were strengthened while Queen Elizabeth reigned,” Congressman Arthur Lira wrote.
Vice President Hamilton Mourão also took to social networks to speak out about Elizabeth II’s death. “Today the Queen of our generation leaves our coexistence, those born in the 1950s who got used to seeing her as a symbol of the United Kingdom itself. This is a moment to pay tribute to this unique statesman figure,” he posted.
World leaders mourn Queen Elisabeth’s death
The main world leaders expressed their condolences and stressed the importance of the Queen on the international scene. Inducted last Tuesday (6) as prime minister of the United Kingdom, Liz Truss released an official statement in which she said that “Queen Elizabeth II was the rock on which modern Britain was built”. According to the Prime Minister, it is a great loss, but Queen Elisabeth II leaves a great legacy.
In total, she met 14 American presidents. She helped Americans celebrate the anniversary of the founding of Jamestown and the bicentennial of our independence”, declared, in an official statement, the American president Joe Biden, who recalled the queen’s solidarity after the September 11, 2001 attacks.
French President Emmanuel Macron stressed the queen’s important role in maintaining friendly relations between the UK and France. “Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II embodied the continuity and unity of the British nation for more than 70 years. I remember her as a friend of France, a good-hearted queen who left a lasting impression on her country and her century,” Macron posted on Twitter
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau highlighted the queen’s wisdom and compassion. “As we look back on her life and reign that spanned so many decades, Canadians will always remember and appreciate Her Majesty’s wisdom, compassion and warmth. Our thoughts are with the members of the royal family during this most difficult time,” Trudeau wrote on Twitter. Being part of the Commonwealth, Canada has the British monarch as head of state.
In Spain, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez mourned the death and highlighted the queen’s historic role. “A figure of world relevance, witness to British and European history,” Sánchez posted on Twitter.
Elizabeth II: 70 years of the greatest reign on the British throne
In the 19th century, in view of the breadth of the British Empire’s possessions around the world, the British were said to possess an “Empire on which the sun never sets.” Several islands and overseas territories gave England enough resources to expand its industrial power, retiring steam engines and investing in electric power, expanding the railroads and improving its naval fleet. We were in the splendor of the so-called “Victorian Age,” in honor of Queen Victoria, who lived from 1819 until the dawn of the 20th century, in 1901.
On April 21, 1926, Queen Victoria’s great-great-granddaughter, little Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor, the firstborn of the future King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, was born in London. Her father ascended the throne of the British monarchy in 1936, transforming the ten-year-old girl into a princess and heir to the throne of the United Kingdom. Raised within the palace walls, living a sheltered youth at Windsor Castle, the young princess acquired the knowledge necessary for a future monarch.
At the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939, Elizabeth was still a girl of 13, and yet she decided to help her country. Her job was to participate in BBC Radio broadcasts, sending messages to reassure other British children. The little princess also used the microphone to speak directly to the men and women serving in the UK armed forces, as a way of boosting the morale of her people.
By the end of the war, in 1945, at the age of 19, Elizabeth had joined the Army. After completing a course in auto mechanics, the future Queen was able to drive trucks, ambulances, and jeeps, and to make repairs to vehicles and change tires. The 2006 film The Queen shows the monarch (played by actress Helen Mirren) driving a jeep over rough roads on the family estates.
At the age of 21, in 1947, just after the end of World War II, she married a second cousin, the Greek Prince Philip Mountbatten, in Westminster Abbey. They had four children: heir to the throne Prince Charles, Princess Anne, and Princes Andrew and Edward.
In 1948, pregnant with the future Prince Charles, Elizabeth was in the grandstand at Wembley Stadium when her father gave the official opening of the London Olympics. She certainly couldn’t have imagined that 64 years later she would be the one to declare another edition of the Olympics open in the British capital in 2012.
With the death of King George VI in February 1952, Elizabeth, at age 25, became Queen of the United Kingdom (England, Northern Ireland, Wales, and Scotland), Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Pakistan, and Ceylon (an Asian colony that gave rise to present-day Sri Lanka), although the coronation did not actually take place until June 1953.
French President Emmanuel Macron stressed the Queen’s important role in maintaining friendly relations between the UK and France. “Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II embodied the continuity and unity of the British nation for more than 70 years. I remember her as a friend of France, a good-hearted queen who left a lasting impression on her country and her century,” Macron posted on Twitter
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau highlighted the queen’s wisdom and compassion. “As we look back on her life and her reign that spanned so many decades, Canadians will always remember and appreciate Her Majesty’s wisdom, compassion and warmth. Our thoughts are with the members of the royal family during this most difficult time,” Trudeau wrote on Twitter. Being part of the Commonwealth, Canada has the British monarch as head of state.
In Spain, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez mourned the death and highlighted the queen’s historic role. “A figure of world relevance, witness to British and European history,” Sánchez posted on Twitter.
Elizabeth II: 70 years of the greatest reign on the British throne
In the 19th century, in view of the breadth of the British Empire’s possessions around the world, the British were said to possess an “Empire on which the sun never sets.” Several islands and overseas territories gave England enough resources to expand its industrial power, retiring steam engines and investing in electric power, expanding the railroads and improving its naval fleet. We were in the splendor of the so-called “Victorian Age,” in honor of Queen Victoria, who lived from 1819 until the dawn of the 20th century, in 1901.
On April 21, 1926, Queen Victoria’s great-great-granddaughter, little Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor, the firstborn of the future King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, was born in London. Her father ascended the throne of the British monarchy in 1936, transforming the ten-year-old girl into a princess and heir to the throne of the United Kingdom. Raised within the palace walls, living a sheltered youth at Windsor Castle, the young princess acquired the knowledge necessary for a future monarch.
At the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939, Elizabeth was still a girl of 13, and yet she decided to help her country. Her job was to participate in BBC Radio broadcasts, sending messages to reassure other British children. The little princess also used the microphone to speak directly to the men and women serving in the UK armed forces, as a way of boosting the morale of her people.
By the end of the war, in 1945, at the age of 19, Elizabeth had joined the Army. After completing a course in auto mechanics, the future Queen was able to drive trucks, ambulances, and jeeps, and to make repairs to vehicles and change tires. The 2006 film The Queen shows the monarch (played by actress Helen Mirren) driving a jeep over rough roads on the family estates.
At the age of 21, in 1947, just after the end of World War II, she married a second cousin, the Greek Prince Philip Mountbatten, in Westminster Abbey. They had four children: heir to the throne Prince Charles, Princess Anne, and Princes Andrew and Edward.
In 1948, pregnant with the future Prince Charles, Elizabeth was in the grandstand at Wembley Stadium when her father gave the official opening of the London Olympics. She certainly couldn’t have imagined that 64 years later she would be the one to declare another edition of the Olympics open in the British capital in 2012.
With the death of King George VI in February 1952, Elizabeth, at age 25, became Queen of the United Kingdom (England, Northern Ireland, Wales, and Scotland), Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Pakistan, and Ceylon (an Asian colony that gave rise to present-day Sri Lanka), although the coronation did not actually take place until June 1953.