Queen Elizabeth, Britain’s longest-reigning monarch, the nation’s figurehead, died peacefully at her home in Scotland on Thursday, September 8, aged 96.
News that the queen’s health was deteriorating emerged shortly after midday when her doctors said she was under medical supervision, prompting her family to rush to Scotland to be by her side.
September 8
Thousands gathered outside Buckingham Palace, in central London, and there was a stunned silence when the flag was lowered to half-mast.
The crowd surged to the gates as the notice announcing the death of the only monarch most Britons have ever known was attached to the black iron gates.
“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. Thursday, 8th September 2022.”
September 9
Britain’s King Charles III returned to Buckingham Palace in London on Friday where he was greeted with cheers, applause and a crowd singing “God Save The King.”
In his first address to the nation, Charles paid tribute to his mother for her devotion to her family and to those she reigned over, saying her loss brought great sadness and a “sense of loss, beyond measure.”
September 10
King Charles III was officially proclaimed Britain’s new monarch in a ceremony featuring pageantry, centuries-old tradition and trumpets sounding.
Charles, 73, immediately succeeded his mother but an Accession Council met at St James’s, the most senior royal palace in the United Kingdom built for Henry VIII in the 1530s, to proclaim him as king.
Prince Harry and his wife Meghan joined William and his wife Kate on a walkabout among crowds near Windsor Castle, raising the prospect of a rapprochement between the brothers.
September 11
Queen Elizabeth’s coffin arrived in Edinburgh after a six-hour journey from her summer home in the Scottish Highlands at Balmoral on Sunday, past tens of thousands of mourners lining the route, many in sombre silence, some applauding and others in tears.
September 12
King Charles III, accompanied by his wife Camilla, the Queen Consort, addressed the British parliament on Monday, telling lawmakers he was “resolved faithfully to follow” the example set by Queen Elizabeth.
The late queen’s coffin was taken along the Royal Mile in the Scottish capital Edinburgh, in a silent and solemn procession watched by thousands of people paying their respects to Britain’s longest serving monarch.
A man who appeared to have heckled Prince Andrew during the procession was shoved to ground by crowd members as police pulled him away.
Charles and his siblings later held a silent vigil at the side of the coffin as it lay at rest in Edinburgh’s historic St Giles cathedral, with thousands queuing for hours to pay their respects to Britain’s longest-serving monarch.
Charles address, “My Lords and Members of the House of Commons. We gather today in remembrance of the remarkable span of the Queen’s dedicated service to her nations and peoples. While very young, her late Majesty pledged herself to serve her country and her people and to maintain the precious principles of constitutional government which lie at the heart of our nation.”
September 13
One young well-wisher appeared overcome with joy after having the chance to shake hands with both King Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla on Tuesday in Northern Ireland.
September 14
King Charles, his sons Princes William and Harry and other senior royals joined a solemn procession taking Queen Elizabeth’s coffin as the late monarch made her final journey from Buckingham Palace on Wednesday.
Huge crowds gathered in central London to witness the queen being taken from the palace to parliament as artillery guns fired salutes and Big Ben tolled, the latest in a series of poignant ceremonies as the nation mourns the queen.
A short service was held in Westminster Hall, conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury, the spiritual head of the Anglican Church, as senior politicians watched on.
Just after 5pm the public began to file past the coffin, some in tears, many bowing their heads.
There will be a constant stream of mourners, 24-hours a day, during the four days of lying in state that lasts until the morning of the funeral on September 19.
September 15
Mourners from all walks of life filed past the coffin of Queen Elizabeth through the night as she lay in state in London’s ancient Westminster Hall, paying their final respects to Britain’s longest-reigning
As King Charles returned to his Highgrove home in the southern English region of Gloucestershire after days of scheduled events, officials expected some 750 000 people to view his mother’s coffin before the lying in state ends at 6.30am (0730 GMT) on Monday.
