He died peacefully on Thursday afternoon at Balmoral Castle in Scotland, Buckingham Palace said in a brief statement. “The king and queen consort will remain at Balmoral this evening and return to London tomorrow,” the palace said, referring to the queen’s son Charles, who automatically became king after her death, and his wife Camilla . The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon. The King and Queen Consort will remain at Balmoral this afternoon and return to London tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/VfxpXro22W —@RoyalFamily In a separate statement, King Charles called his mother’s death “a moment of greatest sadness for me and all members of my family.” “I know her loss will be deeply felt across the country, the Kingdoms and the Commonwealth, and by countless people around the world. During this time of mourning and change, my family and I will be comforted and supported from our knowledge of the respect and deep affection in which the Queen was so widely held.’ Charles’ estate, Clarence House, confirmed that his title was now King Charles III. Watch and listen to full live coverage on CBCNews.ca, CBC News Network, CBC Radio and the CBC News and Listen apps. Elizabeth became queen in 1952, at the relatively tender age of 25, and presided over the country and the Commonwealth, including Canada, for seven decades. Those 70 years as monarch were recognized during this year’s Platinum Jubilee events, which culminated in London in early June. In her time as monarch, Elizabeth witnessed profound changes at home and abroad, including the decline of the British Empire and the decolonization of many African and Caribbean countries, along with the end of hostilities with the Irish republicans. As one of the most famous women in the world, she was under public scrutiny during some of the most painful moments of her life, including the death of her father, King George VI, the dissolution of the marriages of three of her four children and the death of her former daughter-in-law, Diana, Princess of Wales. Staff place a sign announcing the death of Queen Elizabeth on a fence outside Buckingham Palace after Queen Elizabeth, Britain’s longest-serving monarch and the face of the nation for seven decades, died aged 96, according to Buckingham Palace, London, Britain on September 8. , 2022. (Henry Nicholls/Reuters) But Elizabeth always had a strong sense of her role. “I cannot lead you into battle, I cannot give you laws or dispense justice,” she said during her first televised Christmas address in 1957. “But I can do something else: I can give you my heart and my devotion to them the old islands and to all the peoples of the brotherhood of our nations”. This sense of duty was central to her life, even before she ascended the throne. In a speech broadcast from Cape Town, South Africa on her 21st birthday in 1947, she made this clear. “I declare before you all that my entire life, whether long or short, will be devoted to your service and to the service of our great imperial family to which we all belong,” he said. WATCHES | Queen Elizabeth’s long reign:
Queen Elizabeth has died aged 96
Queen Elizabeth, the longest-reigning monarch in British history, has died. CBC’s Margaret Evans takes a look at her life and legacy.
The path to the throne
Elizabeth Alexandra Mary was born in London on 21 April 1926, the first child of Prince Albert and Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, Duke and Duchess of York. At the time of her birth, Elizabeth was third in line to the throne and was not expected to become a monarch. But that changed when her uncle, Edward VIII, abdicated in 1936 to marry American divorcee Wallis Simpson. Elizabeth’s father became King George VI, making Elizabeth the likely heir. It was around this time that Elizabeth met her future husband, Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark. Their wedding in London’s Westminster Abbey in 1947 was a grand event that helped lift the spirits of the British public at a time still reeling from the devastation of World War II and the rationing that followed the end of the conflict. WATCHES | Queen Elizabeth’s wedding to Prince Philip:
Prince Philip married the Queen in 1947
A young Princess Elizabeth married Philip Mountbatten at Westminster Abbey in London on November 20, 1947. The couple’s first child, Prince Charles, was born in 1948 and their second, Princess Anne, arrived two years later. (Two more children, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward, were born in 1960 and 1964, and the family has now grown to include eight grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren.) King George VI died in 1952, so Elizabeth became Queen as well as head of the Church of England and the Commonwealth. Although her grandmother, Queen Mary, died in February 1953, Elizabeth’s coronation took place in June. It was a rich spectacle, and in a major first, it was televised around the world to an estimated audience of 277 million.
Do you have a personal connection, story or memory to share about Queen Elizabeth II? Or a question about what happens next? Send an email to [email protected]
The role of the queen
Because Britain has a constitutional monarchy, the king or queen is the head of state, but they do not have the power to make or approve legislation. Throughout her reign, Elizabeth had a weekly audience with the British prime minister. While the substance of those discussions remains confidential, it is understood to have been an opportunity for the sitting prime minister to seek her advice. Elizabeth has refused to be drawn into public policy debates, but over the years, the British media has sometimes claimed differences of opinion between her and the then prime minister. Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip wave goodbye as they depart Canada from Pearson International Airport in Toronto on July 6, 2010. (Darren Calabrese/The Canadian Press) For example, there were reports that Elizabeth was concerned about anti-strike measures and the reduction of social programs under Margaret Thatcher, who was prime minister from 1979 to 1990. As much as Queen Elizabeth kept her distance from politics, there were times when she let her views be known – or appeared. For example, he was in favor of sanctions against South Africa in the 1980s, said former Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney. And in the days leading up to the Scottish referendum in 2014, he focused heavily on her saying he hoped people would think “very carefully about the future”. At the time, Buckingham Palace said the Queen “maintains her constitutional impartiality. As the Queen has always said, this is a matter for the people of Scotland”. While Elizabeth remained largely apolitical, countless trips abroad made her something of a royal diplomat. In addition to more than 20 visits to Canada, Elizabeth addressed the United Nations General Assembly, the US Congress and met several popes. WATCHES | Queen Elizabeth’s many visits to Canada: Queen Elizabeth has visited Canada 22 times, beginning her royal tours as a princess in 1951, where she met aboriginal people in Alberta. Arguably her most important diplomatic mission was closer to her homeland. In 2012, he visited Belfast, Northern Ireland, where he shook hands with Martin McGuinness, former commander of the Irish Democratic Army and then deputy first minister of Northern Ireland. The meeting, though brief, was seen by many as a key moment of reconciliation between British and Irish Republicans. Elizabeth was “incredibly effective as a diplomat and statesman,” Ninian Melamphy, professor emeritus at Western University in London, Ont., and a longtime royal watcher, said at the time.
Largely inscrutable
Famous as much for her composure as for the colorful clothes she wore to ensure she could be seen in the crowd, Elizabeth rarely showed her true emotions in public. As a result, he was seen by many as a symbol of British resilience. Even so, she had her dark years, particularly 1992, which she called her “annus horribilis”. That year, among other events, the marriages of three of her four children collapsed, a book about Diana was published, and a fire destroyed part of Windsor Castle, a royal residence she held dear. Diana divorced Prince Charles in 1996 and a year later, she died in a car accident in Paris. Elizabeth was heavily criticized for not responding publicly immediately after Diana’s death, but days later she delivered a heartfelt televised speech in which she expressed her admiration for her former daughter-in-law. However, as recognizable and high-profile as Elizabeth was, she remained in many ways an elusive figure. She was known for her sense of humor and her dry temper, but she did not give interviews and her personal views were never made public. Some interests seemed obvious — whether it was her love of horses or her devotion to the corgis who would walk up the plane steps with her. There was also the sense that she was a frugal queen who ran a tight ship, one who reportedly kept her cereal in Tupperware containers and made sure the lights went out in the royal palaces she called home. Queen Elizabeth, left, Prince George, Prince William, Princess Charlotte, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Louis are seen at Buckingham Palace during the Platinum Jubilee Pageant on June 5. (Chris Jackson/Getty Images) In her later years, she became an object of fascination for screenwriters and playwrights, most notably Peter Morgan, who sought to capture the inner life of Britain’s longest-reigning monarch. Famous actress Helen Mirren won an Oscar for her portrayal of Elizabeth in the film The Queen in 2006, and also starred in the play The Audience, about her weekly meetings with the Prime Minister. Netflix is also producing The Crown, a series created by Morgan that…
