Photo by Mathew Browne on Unsplash
By Lily Schneider
Queen Elizabeth II passed away on Thursday morning, Sept. 8, at her summer residence, Balmoral Castle, in Scotland at the age of 96.
After leaving Scotland, the queen’s coffin was transferred to Westminster Hall in London to lie in state four days prior to her funeral.
The queen served as Britain’s longest reigning monarch after nearly seven decades on the throne. Her 73-year-old son Charles became the new figurehead of the monarchy succeeding her passing and is now known as King Charles III.
Queen Elizabeth II met 13 U.S. presidents over the span of her life. It began with a visit to Harry Truman before she was crowned queen. The last was President Joe Biden, who stopped at the British embassy in D.C. on Thursday to sign a book of condolences in her honor. The queen was known for her attempts to modernize the institution of monarchy, as well as her love for corgis.
Carefully constructed plans following her passing are now in motion to ensure that the changeover is maneuvered respectfully and graciously. The plan code-named “London Bridge” is composed of the announcement of her death, the official period of mourning and the details of her funeral state. Immediately after the ceremony held for her death, King Charles offered a personal declaration, televised for the first time in history. The new king spoke and signed two oaths, which officially confirmed him as the leader of the United Kingdom. The documents were also signed by members of the privy council, including his wife, Camilla, and his son William, Prince of Wales.
In other areas of London, the end of the ceremony was marked by a 41-gun salute at Hyde Park and a 62-gun salute at the Tower of London. Comparable declarations occurred in parts of Ireland, Scotland, Wales and other British territories.
At the news of her death, television programs immediately interrupted their regularly scheduled programs. The U.S. Open tennis match and the United Nations held moments of silence in honor of her passing. Flags on official buildings in Washington, D.C. were lowered to half-mast. Even amid these official observances of remembrance, there were minuscule yet plaintive acts. At Ye Olde King’s Head, a small restaurant and gift shop in Santa Monica, California, guests came by to purchase memorabilia whilst sharing memories of the Queen.
On Sunday, Sept. 18, the queue to view the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II was at capacity and is currently closed off to new entrants. Her funeral took place the morning of Monday, Sept. 19. Locals and tourists alike gathered at the long line to see her majesty; at one point the line exceeded a wait of 24 hours. The queen’s lying-in-state remained open until Monday at 6:30 a.m., her funeral followed later that morning.
Works Cited:
Beckett, L. (n.d.). Will the Queen’s death change Meghan and Harry’s new chapter? The Guardian. From https://amp.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/sep/09/prince-harry-meghan-sussex-queen-elizabeth-california
Landler, Mark. “World Mourns Queen Elizabeth II, Britain’s Bastion of Stability.” The New York
Times, The New York Times, 12 Sept. 2022, https://www.nytimes.com/live/2022/09/08/world/queen-elizabeth.
“Queen Elizabeth II: Latest News.” AP NEWS, https://apnews.com/hub/queen-elizabeth-ii.
“Queen Elizabeth II’s Death.” The Wall Street Journal, Dow Jones & Company,
https://www.wsj.com/amp/livecoverage/queen-elizabeth-death-king-charles-2022-09-18.