Queen Elizabeth Alexandra Mary II, Queen of England, passed today at the age of 96. She had been queen for 70 years, and it has been reported by ABC News that she died peacefully. Just a few hours prior to the announcement of her passing, the Buckingham Palace had announced that the queen was brought to the Balmoral Castle in Scotland to be put under medical care as her health had become a concern for the royal family.
The next in line for the throne is Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, and he is going to take his mother’s place as Britain’s King. Despite not having a changeover in the monarchy in 70 years, both the U.K. government and the royal family have taken proper preparations to make the transition as seamless as possible. Within the first 24 hours of Queen Elizabeth passing, Prince Charles will be formally proclaimed as King Charles III. A ceremony will be held for his coronation at St. James’ Palace in London with more than 700 people expected to attend. However, the number may not be as high due to the short notice of the Queen’s passing. Following his coronation, typically the day after, the new King will do his first declaration.
Queen Elizabeth was born on April 21, 1926, in the Mayfair district, London. She was introduced to the royal life when her father was next in line in 1936 after the abdication of King Edward VIII. Her father passed in 1952, and Elizabeth was the eldest child, therefore allowing her to step into power and become Queen at the age of 25. Her coronation was held at Westminster Abbey on June 2, 1953 with more than 27 million people in the U.K. watching on the television with an additional 3 million people watching in person. It was the first coronation ceremony to be broadcast on television, per her husband Philip’s request.
She became the longest-reigning English monarch, with her reign being 70 years long. During that time, she gave birth to her third child, Prince Andrew, in 1960. His birth made modern royal-family history due to his father being in attendance for the actual birth. She also met every U.S. president that served during her reign, except for Lyndon B. Johnson. Throughout the year 2002, at the age of 76, she visited 50 countries.
The Queen celebrated her 25 year reign in 1977 with her Silver Jubilee. Her Golden Jubilee to celebrate her 50 years was in 2002. In 2012, the Diamond Jubilee was celebrated to mark 60 years on the throne. On Sep. 9, 2015, Queen Elizabeth earned the title of longest reigning monarch, exceeding Queen Victoria’s 64 year reign as monarch. Earlier this year, 2022, the Queen celebrated her Platinum Jubilee on February 5.
It is a difficult day with this death upon us all, but the reign of Queen Elizabeth II will be forever remembered for its many accomplishments. She was “the rock on which modern Britain was built“, as the U.K. prime minister, Liz Truss, emphasized today. Her legacy will live on forever.
Rest easy, Queen Elizabeth.