Great Britain begins a period of 10 days of mourning to remember and honor the Queen Elizabeth II, who died Thursday at the age of 96 years at Balmoral, his summer residence in Scotlandafter a year with health complications, from coronavirus to mobility problems.
Early in the afternoon when the announcement of his failing health arrived, hundreds of people began to congregate in front of Buckingham Palace, where they followed the news attentively and, when the Union Jack flag in the Palace was lowered to half-staff, the crowd He was motionless and in shock: the queen was dead.
Immediately afterwards, the plan known as “Operation London Bridge”a secret protocol planned years ago with details about the first hours after the death was announced.
The plan is just one of several stringent procedures carried out when a member of the royal family dies, bits of which have leaked out over the years.
The queen’s son and successor, King Carlos III, acceded to the throne immediately in the sanctuary of Balmoral Castle, after receiving the first greeting from the new prime minister, Liz Truss, whom the queen had commissioned to form a government just two days earlier in her capacity as the new leader of the majority Conservative Party.
A cataract of greetings and tributes flooded the entire world, including the voices of the main leaders of the planet that were completed early, due to the time difference, with the signs of pain from the governments of China (especially the former British colony of Hong Kong ) and Japan.
The queen’s state funeral is expected to take place at Westminster Abbey. in less than two weeks, but the exact day will be confirmed by Buckingham Palace.
Details of Her Majesty the Queen’s funeral and other upcoming ceremonial and commemorative events across the UK will be announced in due course. The last funeral service held at the abbey was for the queen’s mother in 2002.
It is presumed that the coffin will leave Balmoral to be taken by route to the Palace of Holyroodhouse, in Scotland, and then to London. Heads of state from around the world will be invited to the funeral.
Now the new king will deal with matters of state as he begins his first full day as the nation’s new monarch, having spent much of his 73 years preparing for office.
According to the main British media, Carlos III will deliver his first speech to the British this afternoonwhile by 13 (local time) 96 cannon salvos will be fired from various London locations including Hyde Park and the Tower of London.
The new monarch will have audiences with the Prime Minister and Cabinet, the Leader of the Opposition, the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Dean of Westminster.
The official proclamation of Carlos III as king will take place on Saturday in London, in front of a ceremonial body known as the Accession Council.
This council is made up of more than 700 people, including the entire Privy Council, senior officials and the Mayor of London, but for Saturday’s ceremony, to be held at St James’s Palace, only 200 are expected to attend.
celebrity goodbyes
The actress Helen Mirren, who played Elizabeth in the 2006 biopic “The Queen,” was “proud to be Elizabethan.” “We mourn a woman who, with or without a crown, was the epitome of nobility,” said the English interpreter.
The musician and singer Elton Johnwho has a luxurious house a stone’s throw from Windsor Castle, said he was “deeply saddened” by the queen’s death.
“He was an inspiring presence to be around and led the country through some of our biggest and darkest moments with grace, decency and genuine warmth,” she wrote on Instagram.
Elton John was knighted by the queen in 1998, just months after singing a reworked version of “Candle in the Wind” at the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales, AFP recalled.
Mick jagger, leader of the Rolling Stones, mourned the loss of someone who had been present throughout his life. “In my childhood I remember seeing the highlights of her wedding on television. I remember her being a beautiful young woman, even the much-loved grandmother of the nation,” she commented.
The author of “Harry Potter”, JK Rowling, said that Elizabeth had “earned her break”. “She did her duty to the country until her last hours, and she became a lasting and positive symbol of Great Britain throughout the world,” she tweeted.
the spice girl victoria beckhamwife of David Beckham, one of England’s most popular footballers, said the queen’s death marked a sad day “for the whole world”.
The former Beatle Paul MCCARTNEY, who was knighted by Elizabeth in 1997 and performed at her diamond jubilee in 2012, paid tribute to her and her son Charles, who succeeds her to the throne. “God bless Queen Elizabeth II…Long live the King,” she tweeted.
God bless Queen Elizabeth II
May she rest in peace
Long live The KingPaul MCCARTNEY pic.twitter.com/fK9wXqkAsa
— Paul McCartney (@PaulMcCartney) September 8, 2022
