Queen Elizabeth II Death Live Updates: King Charles pledges to 'uphold constitutional principles' in first address to UK

Queen Elizabeth II Death: Live Updates

Queen’s state funeral to be UK’s first since Winston Churchill’s in 1965

The Queen’s state funeral will be the UK’s first in more than half a century, with former Prime Minister Winston Churchill being the last head of state to be accorded with this honour in 1965.

Queen Elizabeth II, the UK’s longest-serving monarch, died on Thursday at Balmoral Castle in Scotland after reigning for 70 years. She was 96.

Unlike Prince Philip, who had a royal ceremonial funeral, the Queen will have a state funeral, which is usually reserved for the sovereign.

PTI

Queen Elizabeth II Death: Live Updates

Australia honours Queen with 96-gun salute

Australia paid tribute to Queen Elizabeth by honoring her with a 96-gun salute outside the parliament house, one for every year of her life https://t.co/Ef5iESMoXK pic.twitter.com/cj3nMhEwQG

— Reuters (@Reuters) September 9, 2022

Queen Elizabeth II Death: Live Updates

Sombre Edinburgh readies to receive the queen

Sadness, drizzle and a strange frisson filled the Edinburgh air as the Scottish capital prepared to receive the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II this weekend.

The monarch died at her Scottish Balmoral estate on Thursday and the coffin’s arrival in Edinburgh will be the first stage on its journey to a state funeral in London.

Against a damp wall at Holyroodhouse, the royal palace in Edinburgh, the mass of flowers continued to grow.

AFP

Queen Elizabeth II Death: Live Updates

Denmark’s Margrethe now Europe’s longest-serving monarch

Denmark’s popular Queen Margrethe II is now Europe’s longest-serving monarch and also its only reigning queen after the death of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II.  

The artistic and chain-smoking 82-year-old, always impeccably coiffed with her white hair swept up in a bun and hailed for unifying and modernising the Danish monarchy in her 50 years on the throne, has scaled back golden jubilee festivities this weekend following the death Thursday of Britain’s head of state.

Margrethe came to the throne at the age of 31 in January 1972 on the death of her father, Frederik IX, becoming the first woman to hold the position of reigning queen in Denmark.

AFP

Queen Elizabeth II Death: Live Updates

King Charles III & Queen Consort Camilla arrive at Buckingham Palace

The United Kingdom | King Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla arrive at Buckingham Palace in London.

(Source: Reuters) pic.twitter.com/zwNRGNpQqV

— ANI (@ANI) September 9, 2022

Queen Elizabeth II Death: Live Updates

Bank of England delays rate meeting

The Bank of England on Friday said it had decided to postpone a meeting on interest rates due next Thursday by one week following the death of Queen Elizabeth II.

“In light of the period of national mourning now being observed in the United Kingdom, the September 2022 meeting of the Monetary Policy Committee has been postponed for a period of one week,” a statement said.

AFP

Queen Elizabeth II Death: Live Updates

WATCH: 96-gun salutes fired to mark each year of Queen’s life

#WATCH | The United Kingdom: Royal gun salutes of 96 rounds to mark each year of #QueenElizabethII's life taking place in London, Belfast, Cardiff and Edinburgh.

(Source: Reuters) pic.twitter.com/2CIGXzfQ97

— ANI (@ANI) September 9, 2022

Queen Elizabeth II Death: Live Updates

Queen Elizabeth’s last few hours at Balmoral Castle

It began with a short but worrying statement. Less than 48 hours after a frail but smiling Queen Elizabeth II was photographed appointing new Prime Minister Liz Truss, her doctors said they were “concerned”.

An unprecedented medical bulletin issued by Buckingham Palace said the 96-year-old queen was under “medical supervision” but “remained comfortable” at her Scottish retreat, Balmoral Castle.

Queen Elizabeth II Death: Live Updates

Ceremonial 96-gun salutes fired in memory of Queen

Cannon fire rang out across all four corners of the United Kingdom and beyond on Friday, in a ceremonial “death gun salute” in memory of Queen Elizabeth II.

Ninety-six shots — one for every year of her life — were fired from Hyde Park and the Tower of London in the capital, Edinburgh Castle in Scotland, Hillsborough Castle in Northern Ireland and Cardiff Castle in Wales, as well as the Channel Islands and Gibraltar.

AFP

Queen Elizabeth II Death: Live Updates

From India with Love: When Queen rode an elephant in Varanasi

Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II was the world’s most-travelled monarch. In her 70 years on the throne, she visited 140 countries, spending almost four years on state visits.

During her travails and the course of her life, she had many encounters with Indian greats. The Queen visited the country not once but thrice, meeting prime ministers and presidents, visiting monuments, and touching many a heart.

Queen Elizabeth II Death: Live Updates

UK Parliament holds special session

Everyday politics was put on hold in UK with lawmakers set to pay tribute to Queen Elizabeth II in Parliament over two days, which began with a special session at noon.

Many sporting and cultural events were cancelled as a mark of respect, and some businesses including Selfridges department store and the Legoland amusement park shut their doors.

Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby said the queen’s death marked an enormous shift for Britain and the world.

AP

Queen Elizabeth II Death: Live Updates

Long Live the King: How different will Charles be from his mother 

The seismic, history-making moment is finally here. After waiting for more than 70 years, Charles Philip Arthur George Windsor is now King Charles III of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

The 73-year-old ascended to the British throne immediately after his mother, Queen Elizabeth II ‘passed away peacefully’ at her Balmoral home in Scotland at the age of 96.

Read more

Queen Elizabeth II Death: Live Updates

Premier League postpones weekend fixtures

All Premier League matches this weekend have been postponed as a mark of respect following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, it was announced on Friday.

“To honour her extraordinary life and contribution to the nation, and as a mark of respect, this weekend’s Premier League match round will be postponed, including Monday evening’s game,” the league said in a statement.

-AFP

Queen Elizabeth II Death: Live Updates

King Charles leaves Balmoral

The King and Queen Consort have left Balmoral Castle and are en route to Aberdeen airport, where they are expected to fly back to London.

Queen Elizabeth II Death: Live Updates

Elderly King Charles III faces ’testing times’

Trained from childhood to be king, Charles III has endured the longest wait for the throne in British history.

But while his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, was crowned in 1953 with huge fanfare and national excitement aged just 25, her ageing, eldest son will attract less enthusiasm, royal commentators said.

“It will be very difficult for him in terms of following the queen,” Robert Hazell, who founded the Constitution Unit at University College London, told AFP.

“The monarchy is likely to go through, I think, some testing times.”

AFP

Queen Elizabeth II Death: Live Updates

King Charles announces royal period of mourning

Charles declares mourning period to last until seven days after Queen’s funeral.

For the latest guidance on Mourning and how to sign our online book of condolence, please visit our website:

— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) September 9, 2022

Queen Elizabeth II Death: Live Updates

Dalai Lama writes to King Charles III, condoles death of queen

The Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, on Friday expressed his deep sadness over the death of Queen Elizabeth II and offered his condolences to her family and the British people.

In a letter to King Charles III, the Dalai Lama said “I remember seeing photographs of her coronation in magazines when I was young in Tibet.”

He added that “your mother lived a meaningful life with dignity, grace, a strong sense of service and a warm heart, qualities we all should treasure.”

AP

Queen Elizabeth II Death: Live Updates

Germany’s president highlights Queen’s contribution to healing wounds left by World War II

Germany’s president has highlighted Queen Elizabeth II’s contribution to healing the wounds left by World War II during her long reign.

President Frank-Walter Steinmeier says that “Britain held out the hand of reconciliation to Germany, and the hand of reconciliation was also the queen’s hand.”

He says a state visit by the queen to West Germany in 1965 was “one of the most important and powerful symbols” of post-war friendship. “For the young Federal Republic of Germany, this trip was a pricelessly important signal of reconciliation after two disastrous world wars, after the great guilt that my country had heaped upon itself.”

AP

Queen Elizabeth II Death: Live Updates

From Industrial Age to digital era: How Queen Elizabeth II steered the British monarchy into 21st century

Elizabeth’s reign was a delayed result of the crisis of 1936, which saw Edward VIII’s unexpected abdication. She made a bold choice of bringing her coronation ceremony to the living rooms of people by televising it. Since then, the Queen adapted to the evolution of technology through her reign.

Queen Elizabeth II Death: Live Updates

Will the Kohinoor go to Camilla? Examining the murky history and fate of world’s most famous diamond

The death of Queen Elizabeth II on Thursday has led to much grief and outpouring on Twitter, but has also spurred some calls for the return of the famed Kohinoor diamond to India.

The 105-carat Kohinoor is one of 2,800 precious jewels set in the priceless platinum and diamond crown that originally belonged to the Queen Mother, wife of George VI and mother of Elizabeth II.

Queen Elizabeth II Death: Live Updates

A towering figure among European monarchs and a great inspiration

Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, whose 50-year reign is now Europe’s longest, called Britain’s late Queen Elizabeth II a towering figure among European monarchs and a great inspiration to us all.

“We shall miss her terribly,” Margrethe said in a statement released by the Danish royal household. Elizabeth died Thursday at 96 after 70 years on the British throne.

In neighbouring Sweden, King Carl XVI Gustaf said the British monarch had an outstanding devotion and sense of duty and Norway’s King Harald said Elizabeth devotedly accompanied the British people through joys and sorrows, in good times and bad times.

Finland’s President Sauli Niinisto said Elizabeth witnessed and shaped history like few others. Her sense of duty and devotion to service are an example to us all.

AP

Queen Elizabeth II Death: Live Updates

Moment of enormous change for Britain and the world

The head of the Anglican church says the death of Queen Elizabeth II is a moment of enormous change for Britain and the world.

The queen who was monarch and supreme governor of the Church of England — died Thursday at 96 after 70 years on the throne.

Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby says that for many people, a part of our lives we’ve taken for granted as being permanent is no longer there.

He says that with her death there is an enormous shift in the world around us, in how we see it and how we understand ourselves.

AP

Queen Elizabeth II Death: Live Updates

Queen Elizabeth will be remembered for her dignity, commitment: TN CM

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin condoled the demise of Queen Elizabeth II and said on Friday that she will be long remembered for her dignity, decency in public life and her unwavering commitment.

He said he was deeply pained over the demise of Queen Elizabeth II, the longest-reigning monarch of the United Kingdom.

“After a reign spanning seven decades, 15 Prime Ministers and several major turning points in modern history, the second Elizabethan era has come to an end,” the Chief Minister said in his tweet.

Posting her photograph, he said “Queen Elizabeth II will be long remembered for her dignity, decency in public life and her unwavering commitment.”

He conveyed his condolences to the Royal Family, the people of the UK and everyone around the world mourning the demise of one of the greatest monarchs of all time.

PTI

Queen Elizabeth II Death: Live Updates

Crowning of King Charles: How Britain will welcome its new monarch

While Charles automatically became king the moment his mother Queen Elizabeth II died; the coronation will not come until later as this deeply symbolic ceremony takes time to organise.

The coronation of a British sovereign is steeped in rituals dating back centuries.

Elizabeth II’s coronation in 1953 came more than a year after she became queen upon the death of her father George VI.

Queen Elizabeth II Death: Live Updates

As a mark of respect to Queen Elizabeth II, one day State Mourning to be held in India

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland passed away on 8 September 2022. As a mark of respect to the departed dignitary, the Government of India has decided that there will be one day State Mourning on 11 September throughout India.

Queen Elizabeth II Death: Live Updates

Balmoral Castle: The ‘happy place’ where Queen Elizabeth breathed her last

Queen Elizabeth II had many houses to her name, but the fact that she “passed away peacefully” at the age of 96 at Balmoral Castle in Scotland is fitting.

Balmoral is one of the six residences the Queen called home during her seven-decade reign and this structure is replete with royal history, architectural significance and political heft.

The castle in the Highlands has often been called as the place where the Queen was “most happy” as the structure spread across 50,000 acres offered her and the royal family a life outside the public eye.

Queen Elizabeth II Death: Live Updates

Britain’s national anthem to use ‘King’ instead of ‘Queen’ as Charles takes the throne

Numerous small changes to British daily life are expected in the coming weeks to welcome the new monarch — King Charles III, who ascended to the throne after the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II.

Queen Elizabeth II Death: Live Updates

No passport, two birthdays: The unusual perks of being king

The UK’s new king will travel without a passport and drive without a licence, own all the mute swans in England and may continue a tradition of celebrating his birthday twice a year.

Queen Elizabeth II Death: Live Updates

Queen Elizabeth II passes away: Calls grow for return of Crown Jewels to India, Africa

While condolences have kept pouring in for the monarch’s family, the news has also led to growing calls for return of the Queen’s Crown Jewels. The royal jewels, which include India’s famed Kohinoor diamond and the Great Star of Africa, have long been seen as examples of Britain’s colonial domination.

Queen Elizabeth II Death: Live Updates

Charles is now king after Queen Elizabeth II’s death: The British royal family’s line of succession explained

It’s the end of an era. Queen Elizabeth II died on 8 September in Balmoral, her retreat in the Scottish Highland. She was 96. The Queen served as the United Kingdom’s monarch for 70 years, making her the second-longest serving sovereign in history.

Announcing the death on Thursday, 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.”

Queen Elizabeth II Death: Live Updates

Queen Elizabeth II death: Kohinoor crown will go to Camilla, states report

The diamond and platinum crown that will be worn by Queen Consort Camilla is set with 2,800 diamonds, several of them from Queen Victoria’s Regal Circlet.

Queen Elizabeth II Death: Live Updates

Queen of Hearts: The life and times of Elizabeth II

Elizabeth II carried the duties of a queen with grace and honour. Serving as the longest monarch of the British Empire, she was one of a kind.

Queen Elizabeth II Death: Live Updates

Mumbai’s dabbawalas mourn Queen Elizabeth’s demise, recall breakfast with her

Mumbai’s famed dabbawalas on Friday said they were grieving with the royal family and people all over the world after the demise of Queen Elizabeth.

The dabbawalas operate a globally renowned lunchbox delivery and return system that supplies hot lunches from homes and restaurants to people at work.

“On behalf of all the dabbawalas of Mumbai, I pay my heartfelt condolences to the royal family, said Raghunath Medge, an office bearer of the Nutan Mumbai Tiffin Box Suppliers Association.

Dabbawalas were unknown to the world but became famous due to Queen Elizabeth and the royal family, he said.

Queen Elizabeth II Death: Live Updates

Kenya’s Kenyatta says queen was ‘a towering icon of selfless service’

Queen Elizabeth was “a towering icon of selfless service”, Kenya’s outgoing President Uhuru Kenyatta said Friday, in a statement expressing his “deep sense of loss” at her passing.

“Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II was a towering icon of selfless service to humanity and a key figurehead of not only the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth of Nations where Kenya is a distinguished member but the entire world,” he said.

AFP

Queen Elizabeth II Death: Live Updates

Foreign affairs minister for Myanmar’s National Unity Government posted her condolences on Twitter

The foreign affairs minister for Myanmar’s National Unity Government, an underground parallel government spearheading the fight for democracy in Myanmar against its military-led government, posted her condolences on Twitter.

“I’m deeply saddened by the news of the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. On behalf of @NUGMyanmar and the people of Myanmar, I extend our deepest sympathies to the Royal Family and the people of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth,” wrote Zin Mar Aung.

Myanmar, then called Burma, gained independence from British colonial rule in 1948.

AP

I’m deeply saddened by the news of the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. On behalf of @NUGMyanmar and the people of Myanmar, I extend our deepest sympathies to the Royal Family and the people of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth.

— Zin Mar Aung (@ZinMarAungNUG) September 8, 2022

Queen Elizabeth II Death: Live Updates

Three times Queen Elizabeth II survived assassination and escaped unharmed

Queen Elizabeth II, the UK’s longest-serving monarch, died at Balmoral Castle in Scotland after reigning for 70 years. She was 96.

Her death brings to an end the longest reign in the history of the United Kingdom, and one of the longest reigns by any head of state.

But being such a popular public figure has its downsides too – she escaped three assassination bids on her from people with sinister motives.

Queen Elizabeth II Death: Live Updates

South Korea’s Yoon Suk Yeol tweeted his condolences on the death of Queen Elizabeth II

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol tweeted his condolences on the death of Queen Elizabeth II.

“She had a strong belief in the cause of human freedom and left great legacies of dignity,” he said. He wrote that her kind heart and good deeds will remain in people’s memories.

AP

Deepest condolences to the people of the United Kingdom for the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. She had a strong belief in the cause of human freedom and left great legacies of dignity. Her kind heart and good deed will remain in our memories.

— 윤석열 Yoon Suk Yeol (@President_KR) September 9, 2022

Queen Elizabeth II Death: Live Updates

King Charles and Camilla to meet Liz Truss and Earl Marshal

King Charles and Camilla, now the queen consort, stayed at Balmoral on Thursday night but will travel to London on Friday where the new king will have an audience with the new prime minister, Liz Truss.

The King is likely to meet the Earl Marshal (the Duke of Norfolk) who is in charge of the accession and the Queen’s funeral, to approve the carefully choreographed schedule for the coming days.

Queen Elizabeth II Death: Live Updates

Queen Elizabeth’s death ‘great loss’ for the world: Japan PM

The death of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II is a “great loss” for the entire world, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Friday, expressing his “deep sorrow”.

“The death of the queen, who led Britain through turbulent times in the world, is a great loss not only for the British people but also the international community,” he told reporters.

Kishida praised the queen’s “extremely important role in world peace and stability”, saying she “contributed greatly to the strengthening of Japan-UK relations”.

He offered the government’s condolences, and said news of her death had left him “feeling deep sorrow”.

Flags in Japan will be flown at half-mast in respect for the late monarch, chief cabinet secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said.

AFP

Queen Elizabeth II Death: Live Updates

Queen Elizabeth’s death marks the beginning of Charles’s reign

The official website of the royal family has been updated following the death of the Queen, with Charles now listed as His Majesty The King.

Charles automatically succeeded his mother as the nation’s monarch upon her passing, but he will not be formally proclaimed King until an accession council is held at St James’s Palace in London on Saturday.

However royal.uk already lists Charles as King, with his wife Camilla officially listed as queen consort.

The website’s home page has also been updated with a list of feature articles dedicated to the Queen’s life and reign.

Queen Elizabeth II Death: Live Updates

Union Jack flown at half-mast

The Union Jack flag at the British High Commission in Delhi flown at half-mast following the demise of Queen Elizabeth II.

The Union Jack flag at the British High Commission in Delhi flown at half-mast following the demise of Queen Elizabeth II pic.twitter.com/fiT7ZKwx8D

— ANI (@ANI) September 9, 2022

Queen Elizabeth II Death: Live Updates

Royal drama: The biggest scandals during Queen Elizabeth II’s reign

Queen Elizabeth II passed away at the age of 96 at Balmoral in Scotland on 8 September, plunging Britain into deep mourning.

Before her death, the United Kingdom’s longest-serving monarch was cherished for a stoic calm that exemplified her nation’s wartime slogan, “Keep calm and carry on.”

However, it’s not not been all rainbows and sunshine for Queen Elizabeth II. Controversies involving Prince Charles, Meghan Markle and more brought extra attention during the Queen’s record-long monarchy, which lasted from 1952 until her death on Thursday at age 96.

Queen Elizabeth II Death: Live Updates

William: popular prince becomes heir to the throne

Heir to the throne now that his father has become king, Prince William has stepped up to royal duties after the exit of his brother, Harry, and uncle, Andrew.

William has grown up with a strong sense of his future responsibilities, with Charles’s reign inevitably set to be shorter than that of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II.

And as the new king ages William will have a much more visible public profile, preparing for his later role as king, said Robert Hazell, professor of government and the constitution at University College London.

“William will have to undertake more of the load, so I have no doubt that there will be an increasing share of royal duty that William will assume,” he told AFP.

William, 40, has so far managed to carve a life largely out of the spotlight, taking on military and civilian jobs and as a hands-on father of three with his wife, Catherine, proving popular with the public.

They are known as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, and now after the queen’s death, also as the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall.

AFP

Queen Elizabeth II Death: Live Updates

China’s Xi offers ‘sincere sympathies’ to Britain after queen’s death

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday offered “sincere sympathies to the British government and people” following the death of Queen Elizabeth II.

“Xi Jinping, representing the Chinese government and the Chinese people, as well as in his own name, expresses deep condolences,” a statement said, adding: “Her passing is a great loss to the British people.”

AFP

Queen Elizabeth II Death: Live Updates

Home-schooled and a great sense of humour: 10 things to know about Queen Elizabeth II’s life

Elizabeth, who marked 70 years on the throne this year, is the oldest and longest-reigning monarch in British history. In September 2015, she surpassed her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria, who reigned for 63 years and seven months.

Queen Elizabeth II Death: Live Updates

Queen Elizabeth II had a special phone for only 2 people? Find out more

According to Express UK, the Queen had a phone with a “highly encrypted anti-hacking mechanism”. The special mechanism in the phone, a Samsung model, was set up by the MI6 to prevent hackers from accessing any details of her personal conversations.

Queen Elizabeth II Death: Live Updates

Indian personalities who met Britain’s longest reigning monarch Queen Elizabeth II

Taking Britain from the age of steam to the era of smartphones, the world’s longest-serving monarch, Queen Elizabeth II died peacefully on the afternoon of 8 September at her estate in Balmoral, Scotland. After ascending the throne in 1952, the Queen witnessed the largely peaceful breakup of an empire that once spanned the globe. In 2015, Elizabeth became the longest-serving monarch, after she surpassed the record of Queen Victoria, who reigned from 1837 to 1901.

Queen Elizabeth II Death: Live Updates

Queen Elizabeth is dead: Here’s what happens for the next 10 days until her funeral

After being on the throne for 70 years, the longest for a British monarch, Queen Elizabeth II passed away peacefully at the age of 96 at Balmoral in Scotland.

Sources were quoted as telling the Daily Mail that her eldest children, Prince Charles and Princess Anne, who were already in Scotland at the time of the Queen’s sudden turn for the worse, were able to make it in time to see her before her passing.

Her death sparked an immediate and huge outpouring of emotion, with thousands of heartbroken mourners gathering outside the gates of Buckingham Palace and other royal buildings.

With the demise of Queen Elizabeth, a number of detailed protocols have been put in place, including Operation Unicorn — the plan’s name if she died in Scotland.

Queen Elizabeth II Death: Live Updates

Former US presidents issue statements soon after Elizabeth’s death

Donald Trump said on his social media platform that Elizabeth “will always be remembered for her faithfulness to her country and her unwavering devotion to her fellow countrymen and women.”

Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle, said she made “the role of Queen her own — with a reign defined by grace, elegance, and a tireless work ethic, defying the odds and expectations placed on women of her generation.”

He said she welcomed him and his wife — the first Black American president and first lady — to the world stage “with open arms and extraordinary generosity" and said they were struck by her ability to put people at ease.

George W. Bush called her “a woman of great intellect, charm, and wit.”

“Spending time at Buckingham Palace, and having tea with Her Majesty – and her Corgis – is among our fondest memories of the presidency,” he said in a statement.

Bill Clinton said he and his wife, former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, joined people around the world “in giving thanks for her extraordinary life.”

“Throughout her remarkable 70-year reign, she led Britain through great transformations with unfailing grace, dignity, and genuine care for the welfare of all its people. In sunshine or storm, she was a source of stability, serenity, and strength,” he said in a statement on Twitter.

Jimmy Carter said in a statement that Elizabeth’s “dignity, graciousness and sense of duty have been an inspiration and we join the millions around the world in mourning a remarkable leader."

AP

Queen Elizabeth II Death: Live Updates

King Charles III to address the nation today

Britain’s new leader King Charles III is scheduled to address Britain on Friday evening.

Charles and his wife, the Queen Consort Camilla, stayed at the Balmoral Castle, where the Queen breathed her last, on Thursday, but will travel to London on Friday. He will meet with Prime Minister Liz Truss there, before making a televised address to Britain.

Queen Elizabeth II Death: Live Updates

France mourns the death of Queen Elizabeth

France, Britain’s historic rival and contemporary ally, honored Elizabeth with flags at the presidential palace and public buildings ordered lowered to half-staff Friday.

President Emmanuel Macron hailed her “immutable moral authority” and her intimate knowledge of French.

He said no other foreign sovereign had visited the presidential palace more often than Elizabeth, who knew all eight presidents of contemporary France.

“The woman who stood alongside the giants of the 20th century on the path of history has left to join them,” Macron said in a statement.

AP

Queen Elizabeth II Death: Live Updates

‘Solid and valuable legacy for future generations’

Royalty across Europe mourned Elizabeth’s death.

Her life “set an example for all of us and will remain as a solid and valuable legacy for future generations,” Spanish King Felipe VI said in a telegram sent to her eldest son, now known as King Charles III.

“We will miss Her dearly,” he wrote, speaking for himself and his wife.

King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden called her “a constant presence, not only in British society but internationally."

In Norway, King Harald said that for “nearly a century, Her Majesty devoted her life to the service of the Commonwealth, following the British people through good days and bad, in times of happiness and sorrow."

AP

Queen Elizabeth II Death: Live Updates

British newspapers covered the Queen’s death

British newspapers rushed to print special editions, carrying regal photographs of the Queen as front covers marking the death of the country’s longest-serving monarch.

The Guardian’s front cover was a portrait of the Queen from her coronation in 1953.

The Guardian front page, Friday 9 September 2022; Queen Elizabeth II 1926-2022 pic.twitter.com/5ROqSmVqE1

— The Guardian (@guardian) September 8, 2022

Queen Elizabeth II Death: Live Updates

Queen Elizabeth II cherished ‘warmth and hospitality’ of India visits

Queen Elizabeth II, who died aged 96 on Thursday, was the first British monarch to accede to the throne after India’s Independence from colonial rule in 1952 and cherished the “warmth and hospitality” she received during her three State Visits to the country over the course of her reign in 1961, 1983 and 1997.

“The warmth and hospitality of the Indian people, and the richness and diversity of India itself have been an inspiration to all of us,” she said in one of her addresses.

Queen Elizabeth II Death: Live Updates

King Charles III makes first statement as monarch after death of his mother

King Charles has made a statement about the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth.

He said, “The death of my beloved mother, Her Majesty the Queen, is a moment of the greatest sadness for me and all members of my family.”

“We mourn profoundly the passing of a cherished Sovereign and a much-loved mother.”

A statement from His Majesty The King: pic.twitter.com/AnBiyZCher

— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) September 8, 2022