10 Days of Mourning Start for Queen Elizabeth II
KTFA:
Samson: The death of Britain's Queen Elizabeth II
09/08/2022 20:32:12
Buckingham Palace announced the death of Britain's Queen Elizabeth II at the age of 96.
The royal palace had announced earlier that the queen had "suffered from occasional mobility problems" since the end of last year.
The royal palace lowered the flags to mourn the death of the queen.
Thus, her son, the British Crown Prince, Prince Charles, will take the throne, succeeding the late Queen.
Elizabeth II is the longest-serving British monarch in the history of the United Kingdom. LINK
Samson: Queen Elizabeth II has died, Buckingham Palace announces
8th September, 2022
Queen Elizabeth II, the UK's longest-serving monarch, has died at Balmoral aged 96, after reigning for 70 years.
Her family gathered at her Scottish estate after concerns grew about her health earlier on Thursday.
The Queen came to the throne in 1952 and witnessed enormous social change.
With her death, her eldest son Charles, the former Prince of Wales, will lead the country in mourning as the new King and head of state for 14 Commonwealth realms.
In a statement, Buckingham Palace said: "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."
All the Queen's children travelled to Balmoral, near Aberdeen, after doctors placed the Queen under medical supervision.
Her grandson, Prince William, is also there, with his brother, Prince Harry, on his way.
Obituary: A long life marked by a sense of duty
Queen Elizabeth II's tenure as head of state spanned post-war austerity, the transition from empire to Commonwealth, the end of the Cold War and the UK's entry into - and withdrawal from - the European Union.
Her reign spanned 15 prime ministers starting with Winston Churchill, born in 1874, and including Liz Truss, born 101 years later in 1975, and appointed by the Queen earlier this week.
She held weekly audiences with her prime minister throughout her reign.
At Buckingham Palace in London, crowds awaiting updates on the Queen's condition began crying as they heard of her death. The Union flag on top of the palace was lowered to half-mast at 18:30 BST.
The Queen was born Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor, in Mayfair, London, on 21 April 1926.
Few could have foreseen she would become monarch but in December 1936 her uncle, Edward VIII, abdicated from the throne to marry the twice-divorced American, Wallis Simpson.
Elizabeth's father became King George VI and, at age 10, Lilibet, as she was known in the family, became heir to the throne.
Within three years, Britain was at war with Nazi Germany. Elizabeth and her younger sister, Princess Margaret, spent much of wartime at Windsor Castle after their parents rejected suggestions they be evacuated to Canada.
After turning 18, Elizabeth spent five months with the Auxiliary Territorial Service and learned basic motor mechanic and driving skills. "I began to understand the esprit de corps that flourishes in the face of adversity," she recalled later.
Through the war, she exchanged letters with her third cousin, Philip, Prince of Greece, who was serving in the Royal Navy. Their romance blossomed and couple married at Westminster Abbey on 20 November 1947, with the prince taking the title of Duke of Edinburgh.
She would later describe him as "my strength and stay" through 74 years of marriage, before his death in 2021, aged 99. LINK
What happens now the Queen has died? Operation Unicorn is triggered after Her Majesty died at Balmoral not London as Royal Train is sent to convey her coffin back to London, Scottish Parliament is suspended and Britain enters 10 days of official mourning
As preparations get under way for funeral, the accession process for a new head of state begins immediately
Prince Charles is now effectively king, although protocol says he will be declared new monarch tomorrow
William is now heir, followed by eldest son George, daughter Charlotte and youngest son Louis
Prince Charles will be declared king at a meeting of the Accession Council, usually at St James' Palace
The Council is made up of all the Privy Counsellors, of whom there are hundreds
The death of the Queen in Scotland has triggered contingency plans known as Operation Unicorn.
Part of the long-held so-called London Bridge arrangements for the aftermath of Elizabeth's death, Unicorn sets in motion additional ceremonial events in Edinburgh ahead of the logistics of moving the Queen's coffin back to London.
The Earl Marshal who is in charge of the plans will, along with royal aides and the Government, be rapidly adjusting the overarching timetable to incorporate the Scottish element, as the military, clergy and police turn their attention to the immense practicalities.
The royal family has already made the urgent dash to Balmoral, with Charles - the new king - and the Queen's other children the Princess Royal, the Duke of York and the Earl of Wessex at the monarch's bedside.
As preparations get under way for the funeral, the accession process for a new head of state begins immediately.
Prince Charles, 73, is now effectively king although protocol dictates that he is proclaimed as the new monarch the day after the Queen's death.
This will take place at a meeting of the Accession Council, which usually gathers at St James's Palace in London. The codename for King Charles’s accession to the throne is Operation Spring Tide.
Members of the royal family will be expected in the coming days to hold a poignant vigil around the Queen's coffin in St Giles' Cathedral in Edinburgh.
Also at Balmoral are the Duke of Cambridge, now the heir to the throne, and Camilla - the new Queen, and the Countess of Wessex. Initially, the Queen's coffin is expected to be at rest in the Ballroom at Balmoral.
The Scottish Parliament will be suspended, with Her Majesty's body expected to first be taken to Edinburgh on the Royal Train in a journey lasting more than five hours to lie at rest overnight in the Palace of Holyroodhouse.
The following day her coffin will be carried up the Royal Mile to St Giles's Cathedral for a service of reception.
The Queen's children are expected to stage a vigil around the Queen's coffin - known as the Vigil of the Princes - while it lies in the cathedral. Members of the public are expected to be allowed in to file past the Queen's coffin to pay their respects.
The Queen's coffin will then be put on the Royal Train once again and be taken back to Buckingham Palace in London.
Another contingency plan, codenamed Operation Overstudy will be triggered if the journey is to be made by air, most likely flying the coffin on an aircraft of the Queen’s Flight to RAF Brize Norton or RAF Northholt.
Whether the coffin is borne by air or rail, it will be met by a reception committee of the Prime Minister and members of her Cabinet upon its arrival in London.
Once Her Majesty's body is back at Buckingham Palace, there will be eight further days of the official period of mourning that will end with her funeral at Westminster Abbey.
An extraordinary level of action will now be required by all arms of the British state, including a vast security operation to manage the unprecedented crowds and travel chaos that could see, in the words of one official memo, London might even be declared 'full'.
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