All credit goes to
The New York Times
Updates: Queen Elizabeth II, Britain’s Beacon of Stability, Dies
Doctors had placed the queen, who was 96, under medical supervision at Balmoral Castle, her estate in the Scottish Highlands. Prince Charles traveled to Balmoral to be at his mother’s side.
Get alerts on major developing stories
LONDON — The death of Queen Elizabeth II, which Buckingham Palace announced on Thursday, is a watershed moment for Britain, at once incomparable and incalculable.
It marks both the loss of a revered monarch — the only one most Britons have ever known — and the end of a figure who served as a living link to the glories of World War II Britain, presided over its fitful adjustment to a post-colonial, post-imperial era and saw it through its bitter divorce from the European Union.
President Emmanuel Macron of France said in a post on Twitter that the queen had embodied the “continuity and unity” of the British nation for over 70 years. “I remember her as a friend of France, a kind-hearted queen who has left a lasting impression on her country and her century,” he wrote on Twitter.
As the queen's death was announced on Thursday, two rainbows were visible to crowds gathered near the Queen Victoria Memorial outside of Buckingham Palace.
Reporting from London
Lina Elfallan, right, was at the gates when the flag was lowered. “It’s hard to know how we feel. I think we’re all in shock,” she said.
The BBC’s usually bright red intro graphic turned black after the death of the queen was announced.
Reporting from London
Crowds outside Buckingham Palace swelled this evening before news of the queen’s death broke. After a hush, people here broke into “God Save the Queen.”
Reporting from London
Buckingham Palace has just released the following statement: “The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon. The King and The Queen Consort will remain at Balmoral this evening and will return to London tomorrow.”
Queen Elizabeth II has died, according to Buckingham Palace, setting off an outpouring of grief in Britain for the 96-year-old monarch, who reigned for 70 years.
She died at Balmoral Castle, her beloved summer home in the Scottish Highlands. Many of her four children, eight grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren were at Balmoral or on their way there, including her son Prince Charles, the heir to the throne.
Video shows members of the royal family landing at Aberdeen Airport in Scotland on their way to Balmoral Castle.
Queen Victoria fell so in love in June 1852 with a sweeping estate in the Scottish Highlands that she later called it “this dear paradise,” and her husband, Prince Albert, bought it for her.
The estate, known as Balmoral Castle, has served as a royal residence ever since, operating most recently as a summer retreat for Queen Elizabeth II.
Prince William, Queen Elizabeth’s grandson and second in line to the British throne, drove fellow members of the royal family toward Balmoral Castle in Scotland.
Over the past year, Queen Elizabeth II has delegated some of her most important royal duties to her eldest son, Prince Charles, the heir to the throne.
In May, the 96-year-old monarch was forced to withdraw from presiding over the state opening of Parliament because of mobility problems, and did not deliver the traditional queen’s speech, which lays out the government’s legislative program. It was the first time since 1963 that the queen did not attend the ceremony.
Reporting from London
Jackie Peebles, 48, struggled to hold back tears as she spoke about the first time she waved to the queen on the royal yacht in Jersey at age 10. “She is all I’ve ever known since I was a child,” she said. “I feel like she is my Nan.” She said she was going to make a scrapbook of the queen’s photos for her daughter, who “might never get to see her. I just feel so sad.”
The anxiety over the queen’s health comes at an already fraught time for Britain, as a cost-of-living crisis and fears of skyrocketing energy costs have gripped the nation, leaving many struggling to get by.
It is also a fragile moment politically. After the resignation of Prime Minister Boris Johnson this summer amid a series of scandals, the governing Conservative Party this week elected a new leader, Liz Truss.
Reporting from London
Rita Grant, 64, a worker at a children’s center in London, said that with the difficult situation Britain was going through, with a cost-of-living and energy crisis, the queen was the only element keeping the country afloat. “She is the glue that holds everything together. If we lose her we lose a lot,” said while shopping for food in London. “Without her, we will be lost.”
Reporting from London
The BBC is now reporting that Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, is not traveling with her husband, Prince Harry, to Balmoral. Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, is also not traveling to Scotland with her husband, William.
The British news media on Thursday afternoon reacted swiftly and somberly to speculation over the condition of Queen Elizabeth II, reflecting intense concern over the declining health of Britain’s longest-reigning monarch.
Shortly after Buckingham Palace said that the queen was under “medical supervision,” the BBC suspended its regular programming. The broadcaster switched to rolling coverage of the queen’s condition and live broadcasts of the rainy scenes outside her Balmoral estate, where well-wishers had gathered.
Megan Specia and
As news of Queen Elizabeth’s condition began to circulate on Thursday, Londoners scanned their phones, scrolling for updates on the nonagenarian monarch who is the only British head of state many have ever known.
From Heathrow Airport to Buckingham Palace to the city’s sprawling tube system, Britons gathered to fret, conjecture and commiserate, exchanging scraps of information about her health.
Outside Buckingham Palace, the queen’s primary residence, crowds held onto railings and posed for photographs, a strange anticipation pervading the scene. With the majority of Britons returning to school and work this week from summer break, many among the throngs were tourists and people from nearby offices.
Among them was Alexander Caplan, a 40-year-old technology entrepreneur, who was working in nearby St. James when he learned of the queen’s health. He rushed to the gates of Buckingham Palace, arriving soon after 1 p.m.
“I felt moved to come to the heart of the monarchy,” Mr. Caplan said. “I think people have been conscious of her advancing years and her declining health, and people are aware that she is, sadly, not immortal. She has become a grandmother to the nation — and not just to the U.K. but also the commonwealth.”
At Heathrow, one of Europe’s busiest airports, travelers gazed at television screens, rapt by the BBC’s live coverage. On board the new Elizabeth Line, which the queen herself helped inaugurate this summer during a surprise visit to central London’s Paddington Station, riders discussed her health.
Some were overheard talking about how frail the queen had looked in photos posted earlier this week when she met with the newly elected prime minister, Liz Truss. Others speculated about the detailed procedures that have already been mapped out — known as Operation London Bridge.
For now, though, the city could only wait and watch, sad and anxious and unnerved all at once.
Daniel Victor and
A meticulous script for the minutes, hours and days that follow the eventual death of Queen Elizabeth II has been in place for years, covering a vast range of procedures in pinpoint detail.
The plan, snippets of which were first reported by The Guardian in 2017 and later by Politico in 2021, includes guidance on major logistical issues, including how the death announcement will be communicated, what happens to the body and procedures for the funeral procession 10 days later.
It also covers granular details, such as ensuring that flags are lowered to half staff within 10 minutes of government officials’ being notified, and banning retweets among some government Twitter accounts unless cleared by the communications chief, according to Politico.
It is known as the “London Bridge” plan; the prime minister will be alerted to the queen’s death by civil servants saying on secure lines that “London Bridge is down,” according to The Guardian. When the death announcement is made public, a notice will be simultaneously placed on a board at the gates of the monarch’s official residence, Buckingham Palace, and posted to the royal family’s website and social media accounts.
Some details of the plan will emerge only when it is carried out upon the queen’s death. But the reporting indicates that the plan coordinates actions among a complex web of officials and entities, guiding them as they undergo a period of mourning and a transition to the reign of the new king: Charles, Queen Elizabeth’s son.
The blueprint has been discussed two to three times a year among government and palace officials, the police, the army and broadcasters. Reports of the queen’s health concerns on Thursday stoked new interest in the plan, as the years-old news reports were shared anew on social media.
Reporting from London
Prince Charles, the heir to the throne, is at Balmoral Castle and will be at the side of his mother the queen, the BBC reported. Other members of the royal family are also heading to Balmoral.
Reporting from London
Queen Elizabeth is Britain’s longest-reigning monarch, and it can be hard to express just how much she has witnessed in her 70 years on the throne.
Matt Glassman, a senior fellow at Georgetown’s Government Affairs Institute, shared on Twitter that by his estimate, the queen has reigned for about 30 percent of U.S. history, calculating from the ratification of the Constitution and its official adoption in 1788.
For Queen Elizabeth II, whose reign began more than 70 years ago, prime ministers come and prime ministers go.
When Liz Truss traveled on Tuesday to Balmoral, the royal castle in Scotland, to be asked to form a government, she became the 15th prime minister to hold office during the queen’s reign, the longest in British history. Winston Churchill was the first prime minister to serve during her tenure.
Ms. Truss’s trip was the first time a prime minister had traveled to Balmoral for such an occasion to meet with the queen, who would usually grant an audience to an incoming leader at Buckingham Palace in London.
No footage of the brief meeting has emerged. But a photograph showed the queen, who wore a tartan skirt and pale cardigan and held a cane, shaking Ms. Truss by the hand. The two women stood in a large living room with a fireplace.
For the queen, it was the second meeting with a prime minister that morning. Just a short while earlier, Ms. Truss’s predecessor, Boris Johnson, had arrived at Balmoral to tender his resignation. Given security concerns, the two politicians arrived in Scotland on separate flights.
Overall, however, the queen’s schedule, which normally includes regular meetings with prime ministers, has slowed since her Platinum Jubilee celebrations in June. Problems with mobility have led to the cancellation of several engagements.
On Wednesday, a meeting of the Privy Council, a formal government body that advises the queen, was canceled. The Palace said that the monarch had accepted doctors’ advice to rest. The meeting would have been held virtually so that ministers would not have to travel to Scotland.
Because of an editing error, an earlier version of this article misstated Boris Johnson’s relation to Liz Truss. Mr. Johnson preceded Ms. Truss as prime minister of Britain. He did not succeed her.
Reporting from London
Alexander Caplan, a technology entrepreneur, came to Buckingham Palace immediately after hearing the news of the queen’s health. “I felt moved to come to the heart of the monarchy,” said Mr. Caplan, 40, noting the crowd that had started to form. “I think people have been conscious of her advancing years and her declining health, and people are aware that she is, sadly, not immortal. She has become a grandmother to the nation.”
Megan Specia and
News that Queen Elizabeth II’s health was deteriorating prompted an outpouring of messages of support on Thursday from across Britain.
The Archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal Vincent Nichols, the head of the Roman Catholic Church in England, said in a statement that he was “concerned to hear the news about the Her Majesty The Queen’s health,” and offered prayers for her and her family.
Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis also shared his wishes for the queen. “The Queen is very much in my prayers today and I know that Jewish communities around the Commonwealth will join me in wishing her a full and swift recovery,” he wrote in a Twitter post.
Lindsay Hoyle, the speaker of the House of Commons, said: “I know I speak on behalf of the entire house when I say that we send our best wishes to Her Majesty the Queen and that she and the royal family are in our thoughts and prayers at this moment.”
The Muslim Council of Britain wished her a “swift and lasting recovery.”
Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, said in a statement made in Rotterdam that her thoughts and prayers were with the queen.
“She represents the whole history of the Europe that is our common home, with our British friends,” she said. “She has given to all of us in all these years — always — stability, confidence. She has shown an immense amount of courage. She is a legend in my eyes. And therefore my prayers are with her.”
Reporting from London
Because many Britons returned to school and work this week after summer break, most of the people who initially gathered outside Buckingham Palace were tourists and people from nearby offices.
Reporting from London
Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who were already in Britain for a charity event, are now traveling to Balmoral, according to a spokesperson for the couple.
News of the queen’s worsening condition on Thursday interrupted a debate in Parliament, moments after the new prime minister, Liz Truss, announced a sweeping package to deal with an energy crisis. An aide whispered in Ms. Truss’s ear, and she stood up, grave-faced, and left the House of Commons chamber shortly afterward.
On Tuesday, the queen looked frail but alert in a meeting with Ms. Truss, who traveled to Balmoral, in Scotland, for an audience after being named leader of the Conservative Party.
By tradition, the queen invited Ms. Truss to form a government, a step that formally transferred power from her predecessor, Boris Johnson. Mr. Johnson had submitted his resignation to the queen an hour earlier. Both meetings had been moved from Buckingham Palace to Balmoral to spare the queen a flight to London.
“The whole country will be deeply concerned by the news from Buckingham Palace this lunchtime,” Ms. Truss said on Thursday on Twitter. “My thoughts — and the thoughts of people across our United Kingdom — are with Her Majesty The Queen and her family at this time.”
Reporting from London
Prince Charles, the heir to the throne, and his wife, Camilla, traveled to be with the queen at Balmoral Castle, his office said. His eldest son, Prince William, who is second in line to the throne, was also on his way to Scotland, as were the queen’s other sons, Andrew and Edward. Her daughter, Princess Anne, was already at Balmoral.
Reporting from London
The BBC has suspended regular programming and shifted to continuous news coverage of Queen Elizabeth II’s deteriorating health.
LONDON — Queen Elizabeth II’s health appeared to be deteriorating sharply on Thursday, with Buckingham Palace announcing that her doctors were “concerned” about her health as family members rushed to her side.
The queen, who is 96 and has reigned for 70 years, has been placed under medical supervision at Balmoral Castle, her estate in the Scottish Highlands, the palace said in a statement. On Wednesday evening, she abruptly canceled a virtual meeting with members of her Privy Council after her doctors advised her to rest.
“Following further evaluation this morning, the queen’s doctors are concerned for Her Majesty’s health and have recommended that she remain under medical supervision,” the palace said in a statement.
Prince Charles, the heir to the throne, and his wife, Camilla, traveled to be with the queen at Balmoral Castle, where Elizabeth spends much of her summer, his office said. His eldest son, Prince William, who is second in line to the throne, was also on his way to Scotland, as were the queen’s other sons, Andrew and Edward. Her daughter, Princess Anne, was already there.
The details of the queen’s medical condition are not known, though the palace has said in the past that she has problems with mobility. She recovered from a bout with Covid-19 in February, but said later that it had left her exhausted.
In a photograph released by the palace on Tuesday of her and Britain’s new prime minister, Liz Truss, the queen held a walking stick in her left hand.
The queen’s declining health has been a recurring cause of concern for the past few years, forcing her to cancel many public appearances, even solemn events like her annual commemoration of Britain’s wartime dead.
She has largely retreated to Windsor Castle, her country residence outside London, though this year she kept to her summer habit of decamping for Balmoral, a castle set amid Scotland’s craggy hills and sylvan dales.
During the Platinum Jubilee in June, marking her 70 years on the throne, a smiling monarch appeared on the balcony of Buckingham Palace to watch a parade and a Royal Air Force flyover in her honor. But she skipped most of the rest of the celebrations, including a gala concert held in Queen Victoria Square, in front of the palace.
As the queen has receded from public view, Charles, her heir, has taken on many of her public duties, including the state opening of Parliament and the conferring of knighthoods. She stopped traveling outside Britain several years ago.
In April 2021, the queen lost her husband of 73 years, Prince Philip, who died a few weeks before his 100th birthday. At Philip’s memorial service, she sat, masked and alone, in a choir stall at St. George’s chapel in Windsor Castle, a poignant symbol of the pandemic’s social distancing restrictions.
Even in her declining state, the queen has been a constant, revered figure in the public life of the country. During the depths of the pandemic, she addressed a socially isolated nation, assuring Britons, in the words of Vera Lynn’s beloved World War II-era song, that “we’ll meet again.”
No comments:
Post a Comment