Queen Elizabeth II died yesterday, September 8, at Balmoral Castle, Scotland, at the age of 96. The UK’s longest-serving monarch, she reigned for an incredible 70 years.
As per reports, she died peacefully on Thursday afternoon at her Scottish estate, surrounded by her family members.
Just two days before Her Majesty’s death, the last picture of her alive was taken.
Queen Elizabeth’s reign saw 15 different prime ministers, from Winston Churchill to the newly-appointed Liz Truss. Her Majesty will be remembered as one of, if not the most, iconic figures in British history.
Queen Elizabeth passes away, aged 96
“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,” Buckingham Palace said in a statement.
The flag atop Buckingham Palace was lowered to half-mast at 6:30 p.m. local time, while an official notice announcing the Queen’s death was posted on the gates to the palace, as is tradition.
The Queen’s eldest son and heir, Charles – the former Prince of Wales – has now become King of the United Kingdom and the 14 Commonwealth realms.
“The death of my beloved Mother, Her Majesty The Queen, is a moment of the greatest sadness for me and all members of my family,” King Charles said in a statement.
“We mourn profoundly the passing of a cherished Sovereign and a much-loved Mother. I know her loss will be deeply felt throughout the country, the Realms and the Commonwealth, and by countless people around the world.”
King Charles added: “During this period of mourning and change, my family and I will be comforted and sustained by our knowledge of the respect and deep affection in which The Queen was so widely held.”
News about the Queen’s deteriorating health first emerged yesterday afternoon. The Queen’s doctors were “concerned for Her Majesty’s health” and recommended that “she remain under medical supervision.”
Royal family gathered at Balmoral
All the Queen’s children and other senior royal members – including King Charles and Camilla – traveled to Balmoral after doctors placed the Queen under medical supervision.
The Scottish estate, located around 40 miles (63km) west of the Scottish city Aberdeen, has been a royal residence for over 150 years. It was first used as a holiday home by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert.
Queen Elizabeth’s grandson – now heir to the throne – Prince William traveled to Balmoral, as did Prince Harry, traveling alone in a private jet. He was said to have arrived at the royals’ summer estate by car after the death of his grandmother was announced.
Early Friday, Prince Harry left Balmoral to reunite with his wife, Meghan Markle, who didn’t accompany him to Scotland. That also went for Prince William, who reunited with his family on Friday. Mid-day Friday, King Charles and the Queen Consort, Camilla, traveled back to London. They arrived at Buckingham Palace where thousand of people welcomed them back. Pictures show them walking past the many flowers laid down in front of the gates in tribute to the late Queen.
The King will officially be proclaimed at the accession council on Saturday, Buckingham Palace has said.
In a speech Thursday afternoon, newly appointed Prime Minister Liz Tuss said she heard of the Queen’s passing at approximately 4:30 p.m. local time.
“We have witnessed the most heartfelt outpouring of grief”
Truss described Her Majesty as the rock on which modern Britain was built and said she had “provided us with the stability and strength that we needed.”
On Friday, Tuss led MPs in the House of Commons in paying tribute to the Queen’s remarkable life of service and public duty.
“We have witnessed the most heartfelt outpouring of grief,” Truss said. “In the hours since last night’s shocking news, we have witnessed the most heartfelt outpouring of grief at the loss of Her late Majesty the Queen.”
Truss added: “She came to the throne at just 25 in a country that was emerging from the shadow of war. Her words of wisdom gave us strength in the most testing times. During the darkest moments of the pandemic she gave us hope we would meet again.”
A period of national mourning has now begun and is set to last until Her Majesty’s funeral. Meanwhile, Parliament members will pay their tribute to Queen Elizabeth and take an oath to King Charles.
As reported by the BBC, there will also be church bells tolling and gun salutes. The state funeral for the Queen is expected in the next two weeks.
World leaders have paid tribute to the Queen since her passing. President Joe Biden recalled how she stood with the US in solidarity during their “darkest days after 9/11.”
French President Emmanuel Macron described her as a “kind-hearted Queen” and a “friend of France.” Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau said that the Queen was one of his “favorite people in the world” and that she was a constant in Canadian lives.
Many have chosen to lay down flowers and messages to the late Queen outside Buckingham Palace and Balmoral.
On Friday, gun salutes were taking place in London and around the UK in tribute to Queen Elizabeth. One round was fired every 10 seconds 96 times to represent each year of the monarch’s life.
Queen Elizabeth’s health problems
After the cancelation of a planned privy council meeting on Wednesday, concerns grew concerning the Queen’s health.
Of course, Queen Elizabeth experienced several significant health problems over the last year. In October, a trip to Northern Ireland was canceled after Her Majesty spent a night in hospital for “preliminary investigations.” A month later, she had to pull out of attending the Festival of Remembrance and, later on, the Remembrance Sunday Cenotaph service due to a sprained back.
The Queen also missed several events during the celebration of her Platinum Jubilee to mark 70 years on the throne.
On July 21, she traveled to Balmoral to begin her traditional summer break. A week later, Prince Charles represented her at the Commonwealth Games opening.
During the Queen’s traditional welcome to Balmoral Castle by a guard of honor, she normally inspected a military unit at the gates of her Scottish estate. However, this year on August 8, it was reportedly held privately inside the grounds.
Last pictures of Queen Elizabeth
The Queen was pictured for the last time on Tuesday when she welcomed outgoing Prime Minister Boris Johnson and the incoming Liz Truss to Balmoral. She was seen using a walking stick during the meetings and looked, as The Guardian described it, “bright but frail.”
Now, a doctor has taken a closer look at the pictures, claiming that something didn’t look right with Her Majesty. However, it seems she put on a brave face to handle the duty, which became her last.
According to Dr. Deb Cohen-Jones, the last pictures taken of the Queen could give an insight into her health. Previously, people have pointed out that her hands appear to be purple, which Cohen-Jones also noticed.
“It looks like there is possibly evidence of peripheral vascular disease,” Dr. Cohen-Jones told Daily Mail. “It’s a blood circulation disorder that causes the blood vessels outside of your heart and brain to narrow, block, or spasm. It can sometimes result in heart failure. If your peripheral circulation is that poor, organs aren’t receiving a good blood supply.”
The doctor adds that it can be a sign of multi-organ failure.
However, it’s important to remember that Buckingham Palace has not yet confirmed the cause of death and that the Queen passed away “peacefully.”
In the last year, Her Majesty was known to have had mobility issues and was seen with a walking stick.
Her life was devoted to serving the people
Dr. Cohen-Jones further said that the Queen’s appearance – slight hunching also could be a sign that something wasn’t quite right with her health.
“The slightly hunched appearance would have been her age and more than likely osteoporosis,” she explained.
The last ever picture taken of the Queen tells us a lot about her. Not only was she happy and positive, but also, it shows that she never let her duties down, no matter how she was feeling.
On February 6 – when she celebrated 70 years on the throne – Queen Elizabeth renewed the pledge she made on her 21st birthday.
“As we mark this anniversary, it gives me pleasure to renew to you the pledge I gave in 1947 that my life will always be devoted to your service,” Her Majesty said.
The fact that Queen Elizabeth never forgot the true purpose of her reign is something not only the people of Britain will remember. In his first address to the nation, King Charles said that Queen Elizabeth’s devotion “never waivered.”
Queen Elizabeth was “full of fun” last weekend before passing
“In her life of service, we saw that abiding love of tradition, together with that fearless embrace of progress, which makes us great as Nations,” he said.
“The affection, admiration, and respect she inspired became the hallmark of her reign. And, as every member of my family can testify, she combined these qualities with warmth, humor, and an unerring ability always to see the best in people.
The Queen seemed to feel relatively well last weekend, according to Rt Rev Dr. Iain Greenshields.
He stayed with the Queen after performing a sermon, telling the Daily Mail that he had dinner on Saturday and lunch on Sunday with Her Majesty. He added that she was “full of fun.”
“It came as a great shock to me when I heard she was gravely ill because she was in amazingly good form over the weekend,” Greenshields said.
“She was the life and soul of things. She was speaking very personally to me about her time there way back when she was a child, she was talking about her horses from the past, naming them from 40 years ago, people’s names and places, she was quite remarkable.”
Jane Barlow was the photographer who took the very last pictures of Elizabeth. Just days before her death, the Queen welcomed Britain’s new Prime Minister, Liz Truss, at Balmoral.
In an interview, Jane Barlow claims that the Queen was “fragile” but in a good mood when she snapped the pictures. As we all have learned, Elizabeth II was professional and friendly until the end.
”I got a lot of smiles from her,” she told Sky News.
When the photo session was finished, Barlow left the room. Then she got another smile from the Queen.
”I was there to photograph her meeting the new Prime Minister but for me the best picture was the one of the Queen on her own. And it has obviously become more significant now.”
Queen Elizabeth II was born in Mayfair, London, on April 21, 1926, the first child of The Duke and Duchess of York – who later became King George VI and Queen Elizabeth.
Queen Elizabeth – 70 years on the throne
She was christened Elizabeth Alexandra Mary at Buckingham Palace on May 29 of the same year.
On February 6, 1952, Queen Elizabeth II became Queen. She was crowned on June 2, 1953.
By that point in her life, Queen Elizabeth had already met the love of her life, Prince Philip. They are said to have met for the first time while attending the wedding of Prince Philip’s cousin, Princess Marina of Greece, and The Duke of Kent, who was an uncle to Princess Elizabeth.
In July of 1947, the couple announced their engagement. On November 20, the same year, the couple married in Westminster Abbey.
Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip had four children: Prince Charles, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew, and Prince Edward. In addition to her four children, Her Majesty welcomed eight grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren during her life.
“He has been my strength and stay all these years”
In 2007, the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh became the first couple in the Royal Family to celebrate their Diamond Wedding anniversary.
“He is someone who doesn’t take easily to compliments. He has, quite simply, been my strength and stay all these years, and I, and his whole family, and this and many other countries, owe him a debt greater than he would ever claim or we shall ever know,” Queen Elizabeth said during the celebration.
Prince Philip sadly passed away on April 9, 2021, aged 99.
In 2022, Queen Elizabeth became the first British monarch to celebrate a Platinum Jubilee, marking 70 years on the throne.
We are sending all our love and prayers to the royal family. Rest in peace, Queen Elizabeth.