“The Queen passed away peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon,” Buckingham Palace said in a statement. “The King and Queen will remain at Balmoral this evening and return to London tomorrow.” Elizabeth’s eldest son Charles, 73, automatically becomes king of the United Kingdom and head of state of 14 other kingdoms, including Australia, Canada and New Zealand. His wife Camilla becomes Queen Consort. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comSign up News that the Queen’s health was deteriorating came shortly after midday on Thursday when doctors said she was under medical supervision, prompting her family to rush to her side at her Scottish home of Balmoral. The Queen has been suffering from what Buckingham Palace called “episodic mobility problems” since late last year, forcing her to withdraw from almost all public engagements. Her latest public engagement came just on Tuesday, when she appointed Liz Truss as prime minister – her 15th prime minister. In her palaces and on government buildings across London, flags were flown at half-mast. Queen Elizabeth II, who was also the world’s oldest and longest-serving head of state, ascended the throne after the death of her father, King George VI, on February 6, 1952, when she was just 25 years old.
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He was crowned in June of the following year. The first televised coronation was a foretaste of a new world in which the lives of royals were to be increasingly scrutinized by the media. “I have pledged myself sincerely to your service, as many of you have pledged to mine. Throughout my life and with all my heart I will strive to be worthy of your trust,” she said in a speech to her subjects on day of her coronation. Elizabeth became monarch at a time when Britain still retained much of its old empire. It was emerging from the ravages of World War II, with food rationing still in place and class and privilege still dominating society. Winston Churchill was Prime Minister of Britain at the time, Joseph Stalin led the Soviet Union and the Korean War was raging. In the decades that followed, Elizabeth experienced massive political change and social upheaval at home and abroad. Her family’s heartbreaks, notably the divorce of Charles and his late first wife Diana, played out in full public glare. While remaining an enduring symbol of stability and continuity for the British at a time of relative national economic decline, Elizabeth also sought to adapt the ancient institution of monarchy to the demands of the modern age. “She managed to modernize and evolve the monarchy like no other,” her grandson Prince William, who is now heir to the throne, said in a 2012 documentary.
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Elizabeth was the 40th monarch in a royal line that traces its descent from the Norman King William the Conqueror, who claimed the English throne in 1066 after defeating the Anglo-Saxon ruler Harold II at the Battle of Hastings. Her long reign meant she repeatedly broke records for British monarchs. When she surpassed her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria’s more than 63 years on the throne, she said it was not a milestone she ever aspired to. “Inevitably a long life can pass through many milestones – mine is no exception,” he said. Her marriage to Prince Philip lasted 73 years, until his death in April 2021, and they had four children, Charles, Anne, Andrew and Edward. She never gave an interview to the media and critics said she came across as aloof and aloof. But for the vast majority of her subjects, for whom she was the only monarch they had ever known, she was a figure that commanded respect and admiration. Her death marks the end of an era. “In public office she was selfless and wise, with a wonderful generosity of spirit. That’s how she lived and led,” said former prime minister John Major. “For millions of people – across the Commonwealth and the wider world – she embodied the heart and soul of our nation and was admired and respected around the world.” Polls have shown that Charles does not enjoy nearly the same level of support, and there is speculation that Elizabeth’s loss could lead to a rise in republican sentiment, particularly in other quarters. “I think it’s going to be a huge shock to everyone, much more than they realize. I don’t know if it’s an exaggeration to think there’s going to be some kind of almost national nervous breakdown,” said royal historian Hugo Vickers. He said her reign was unlikely to compete. “I think to be quite honest, if we lived for 1,000 years, we would never see anything like it again.” At her death the Queen was head of state not only of the United Kingdom but also of Australia, the Bahamas, Belize, Canada, Grenada, Jamaica, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, St. Lucia, St. Kitts and Nevis, Tuvalu, Solomon Islands, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Antigua and Barbuda. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comSign up Additional reporting by Muvija M, Kate Holton, William James, Alistair Smout, Paul Sandle, Kylie MacLellan, Sachin Ravikumar, Farouq Suleiman, Elizabeth Piper, William Schomberg, David Milliken, Hannah McKay and Sarah McFarlane. Reporting by Michael Holden in London and Russell Cheyne in Balmoral. Edited by Kate Holton, Janet Lawrence and Angus MacSwan Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
