![]() ![]() Others compared her to their mothers, or great-grandmothers.īut around the world, her passing revealed conflicting emotions about the nation and institutions she represented. Like many, she referred to Elizabeth as a grandmother figure. “Charles can never replace her, you know,” said 31-year-old Londoner Mariam Sherwani. The public’s abiding affection for the queen had helped sustain support for the monarchy during the family scandals, including the divorce of Prince Charles and Princess Diana, but Charles does not command that kind of popularity. The impact of Elizabeth’s loss will be unpredictable. 19.Įlizabeth was Britain’s longest-reigning monarch and a symbol of constancy in a turbulent era that saw the decline of the British empire and disarray in her scandal-plagued family. The queen’s coffin will be brought to London, where she is expected to lie in state before a funeral at Westminster Abbey, expected around Sept. The new king is expected to tour the United Kingdom in the coming days. ![]() The Bank of England postponed its meeting by a week.īut while Elizabeth’s death portends a monumental shift for some, day-to-day life in Britain went on in other respects, with children in school and adults at work, facing concerns about inflation.Ĭharles, who became the monarch immediately upon his mother’s death, will be formally proclaimed king at a special ceremony Saturday. Meanwhile, many sporting and cultural events were canceled as a mark of respect, and some businesses - including Selfridges department store and the Legoland amusement park - shut their doors. Senior lawmakers will also take an oath to King Charles III. “I’m trying to hold it together today.”Įveryday politics was put on hold, with lawmakers paying tribute to the monarch in Parliament over two days, beginning with a special session where Truss called the queen “the nation’s greatest diplomat.” “It’s just such a momentous change that is going to happen,” she said. Some came simply to pause and reflect.įinance worker Giles Cudmore said the queen had “just been a constant through everything, everything good and bad.”Īt Holyrood Palace in Edinburgh, mourner April Hamilton stood with her young daughter, struggling to hold back tears. The seismic change of monarch comes at a time when many Britons are facing an energy crisis, the soaring cost of living, the war in Ukraine and the fallout from Brexit.Īs the second Elizabethan Age came to a close, hundreds of people arrived through the night to grieve together outside the gates of Buckingham Palace and other royal residences, as well as British embassies worldwide. The mood was both grieving and celebratory. Under intense scrutiny and pressure to show he can be both caring and regal, Charles walked slowly past flowers heaped at the palace gates for his mother. He arrived at Buckingham Palace, the monarch’s London home, for the first time as sovereign, emerging from the official state Bentley limousine alongside Camilla, the queen consort, to shouts from the crowd of “Well done, Charlie!” and the singing of the national anthem, now called “God Save the King.” One woman gave him a kiss on the cheek. On the king’s first full day of duties, Charles left Balmoral and flew to London for a meeting with Truss, appointed by the queen just two days before her death. In Britain and across its former colonies, the widespread admiration for Elizabeth herself was occasionally mixed with scorn for the institution and the imperial history she symbolized. In London and at military sites across the United Kingdom, cannons fired 96 shots in an elaborate, 16-minute salute marking each year of the queen’s life. Mourners at the service included Prime Minister Liz Truss and members of her government.Īs the country began a 10-day mourning period, people around the globe gathered at British embassies to pay homage to the queen, who died Thursday at Balmoral Castle in Scotland. Paul’s Cathedral, where some 2,000 people attended a service of remembrance for the queen. The king’s speech was broadcast on television and streamed at St. ![]()
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