The 70-year reign of Queen Elizabeth II came to an end on Thursday, as she passed away at Balmoral at the age of 96.
The longest-serving monarch of the UK first ascended the throne in 1952 and was described by newly appointed prime minister Liz Truss as the rock upon which the nation was built, providing “stability and strength.”
Her son, King Charles III, referred to her as a “cherished sovereign” and “much loved mother”, calling her passing a “moment of great sadness” that would be “deeply felt” around the world.
The prime minister – who met the Queen at Balmoral on Tuesday - said that the nation offered King Charles III “our loyalty and devotion, just as his mother devoted so much, to so many, for so long.
She continued: “With the passing of the second Elizabethan age, we usher in a new era in the magnificent history of our great country, exactly as Her Majesty would have wished, by saying the words 'God save the King'.”
The new King and his wife, Camilla, who now becomes the Queen Consort, will return to London on Friday. Them and other senior royals including Princes William and Harry had travelled to Balmoral earlier on Thursday when the Queen’s doctors raised the alarm over her health and placed her under medical supervision.
Prince William, now heir to the throne, became the Duke of Cambridge and Cornwall upon the Queen’s death. His wife, Catherine, now assumes the title of Duchess of Cambridge and Cornwall.
As news emerged of the Queen’s passing, crowds who had gathered outside of Buckingham Palace in London and Balmoral, near Aberdeen, began to mourn. The union flag atop Buckingham Palace was lowered to half-mast in the evening.
Born Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor in Mayfair London on April 21, 1926, she became Her Majesty the Queen in 1952. Even as a 21-year-old princess, she had vowed to devote her life to duty and had spent time with the Auxiliary Territorial Service, learning motor and mechanic skills three years earlier.
Her reign would span the terms of 15 UK prime ministers, beginning with that of Winston Churchill who was born 101 years before the incumbent PM, Liz Truss.
Queen Elizabeth’s II’s path to the throne was laid out after her uncle, King Edward VIII, abdicated in 1936 to wed Wallis Simpson, with her father becoming King George VI. At the time, the then heir and future Queen was merely a 10-year-old child.
By her teens, the nation was at war with Nazi Germany and the Axis powers, with Elizabeth and Princess Margaret, her younger sister, spending large spells of wartime at Windsor Castle. It was during this time that she exchanged letters with her future husband, Philip, Prince of Greece. He was serving in the Royal Navy at the time and was the third cousin of the future monarch. The two would marry at Westminster Abbey on November 20, 1947, with Philip assuming the title of Duke of Edinburgh.
Philip passed away at the age of 99 in 2021, with the Queen having described him as her “strength and stay” throughout a 74-year marriage.
Elizabeth and Philip went on to have four children: Charles (born 1948), Princess Anne (1950), Prince Andrew (1960), and Prince Edward (1964), as well as eight grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren.
Elizabeth was in Kenya in 1952 when news emerged that her father had passed away, after which she returned to London as Queen. She was crowned on June 2, 1953, at the age of 27. A record-TV audience at the time of over 20 million people tuned into the event.
Her reign would see the British Empire reorganised into the Commonwealth, the start and end of the Cold War era and periods of immense social upheaval.
Moving with the times, Elizabeth reformed the monarchy and stepped-up public engagements. She was staunch in her commitment to the Commonwealth realms, visiting every one of them at least once.
The 1990s brought greater challenges, with her “annus horribilis” of 1992 bringing an end to three of her children’s marriages and saw a fire rip through Windsor Castle.
The Queen entered the firing line in 1997, after she was perceived to have been slow to publicly respond to the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, who was in a fatal car accident.
Social changes also brought questions about the monarchy’s place in modern British society, yet the Queen responded with grace and decorum: “No institution… should expect to be free from the scrutiny of those who give it their loyalty and support, not to mention those who don't,” she said in response.
Her solidarity with UK allies across the globe was also credited, with US president Joe Biden recalling her steadfastness in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, while French president Emmanuel Macron hailed her a “friend of France” and “kind-hearted Queen.”
In June this year, the nation celebrated the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, during which she reiterated her commitment to devote her life to service.
“My heart has been with you all,” she said even as her health began to take its toll and prevent her from fulfilling all her engagements.
As the nation celebrated then, with street parties and colourful patriotic displays, the Royal Family and the country now enters a period of mourning. Official engagements will be cancelled and union flags at royal residences, government buildings, Armed Forces premises and upon UK posts overseas will be lowered to half-mast.
Parliament has been adjourned for 10 days to allow MPs to pay tribute and take their oaths to the new King, who now assumes the title of head of state across 14 Commonwealth nations.
The Queen will have a state funeral, which is to be held in the next fortnight.
Photo by Elli Gerra on Wikimedia Commons
