Queen Elizabeth II, who ruled the UK for 70 years, passed away at Balmoral at the age of 96.
After worries about her health grew early on Thursday, her family gathered at her Scottish estate.
The Queen saw significant social change after ascending to the throne in 1952.
Charles, her oldest child, grows up to become King Charles III and the ruler of 14 Commonwealth states. He described his mother’s passing as “a moment of immense anguish.”
His Majesty the King issued a statement in which he said: “We deeply lament the demise of a beloved Mother and valued Sovereign. I am confident that the nation, the Realms, the Commonwealth, as well as a large number of people all over the world, will be devastated by her passing.
He stated that he and his family would be “comforted and sustained by our awareness of the respect and profound affection in which The Queen was so universally held” during the time of loss and transformation.
Buckingham Palace released the following statement: “The Queen passed away peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon.
The King and the Queen Consort will spend this evening and tomorrow in Balmoral before departing for London.
Following the Queen’s placement under medical supervision, all of her children made their way to Balmoral, which is close to Aberdeen.
Prince William, her grandson, is also present, and Prince Harry is en route.
The Queen, who on Tuesday appointed Prime Minister Liz Truss, said she was the “rock” upon which modern Britain was founded and that she had “given us the stability and strength that we required.”
She stated of the new King: “We offer him our loyalty and love, just as his mother so greatly and so long ago gave to so many.
And as the second Elizabethan era ends, we declare “God save the King,” just as Her Majesty would have wanted, to usher in a new chapter in the glorious history of our great nation.
The reign of Queen Elizabeth II as head of state covered the post-World War II period of austerity, the change from an empire to a Commonwealth, the end of the Cold War, and the UK’s membership in – and exit from – the European Union.
15 prime ministers served during her time in office, including Ms. Truss, who was born 101 years after Winston Churchill, in 1874.
Throughout her rule, she met with her prime minister on a weekly basis.
Crowds waiting for information on the Queen’s condition at Buckingham Palace in London started wailing when they learned of her passing. At 18:30 BST, the Union flag atop the palace was lowered to half-staff, and a formal notification of the death was put up on a noticeboard outside.
Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor was born the Queen on April 21, 1926, in Mayfair, London.
Few could have predicted she would become the monarch, but in December 1936, her uncle Edward VIII abdicated the monarchy in order to wed American Wallis Simpson, who had previously been divorced twice.
Elizabeth’s father, King George VI, abdicated in favour of her sister Lilibet, who was heir to the throne at the age of 10.
Britain and Nazi Germany were at war in three years. After their parents rejected recommendations that they be moved to Canada, Elizabeth and her younger sister, Princess Margaret, spent a large portion of the war at Windsor Castle.
Elizabeth, who was then 18 years old, completed five months training as a driver and basic mechanic with the Auxiliary Territorial Service. She subsequently reflected, “I started to comprehend the esprit de corps that thrives in the face of adversity.
She corresponded via letters with her third cousin Philip, Prince of Greece, who was enlisting in the Royal Navy, during the course of the conflict. The couple’s relationship flourished, and on November 20, 1947, they were married at Westminster Abbey, with the prince assuming the title of Duke of Edinburgh.
After 74 years of marriage, she would later refer to him as “my strength and stay” before his 99th birthday death in 2021.
Princess Anne was born in 1950, Prince Andrew in 1960, and Prince Edward in 1964. Their first son, Charles, was born in 1948. They each produced eight grandkids and twelve great-grandchildren for their parents.
Princess Elizabeth was representing the ill King in Kenya in 1952 when Philip informed her that her father had passed away. As the new Queen, she went back to London right away.
She later remembered, “It was all a very sudden kind of taking on and making the best job you can.
Elizabeth was crowned at Westminster Abbey on June 2, 1953, at the age of 27, in front of an estimated 20 million viewers of the then-record TV broadcast.
With the demise of the British Empire abroad and the swinging ’60s eroding social conventions at home, the following decades would witness significant change.
For this less reverent era, Elizabeth changed the monarchy by interacting with the populace through walkabouts, royal visits, and attendance at public events. She visited every Commonwealth nation at least once, demonstrating her unwavering dedication to the organisation.
But there were times of both personal and national suffering. Three of the Queen’s children’s marriages failed during the “annus horribilis” of 1992, when a fire destroyed Windsor Castle, a functional palace as well as a private dwelling.
The Queen came under fire for not publicly commenting after Diana, Princess of Wales, died in a car accident in Paris in 1997.
The monarchy’s usefulness in contemporary society has been called into doubt.
She agreed that “no institution…should expect to be free from the examination of those who give it their allegiance and support, let alone those who do not.”
Elizabeth had vowed to devote her life to service when she was a young princess of 21.
After many years had passed, she thought back on those comments and said, “Although that pledge was made in my salad days, when I was green in judgement, I do neither regret nor withdraw one word of it,” at the celebration of her silver jubilee in 1977.
On the weekend of her Platinum Jubilee in June, 45 years after making her initial vow to serve, she thanked the country in a letter.
A combination of state ceremonies, a vibrant festival of everything British, and energetic street festivities were held to commemorate the milestone.
The Queen stated, “My heart has been with you all,” even if her health prevented her from attending some events.
(Source: International News Agency)
Prasanta Patnaik