Live: Death of Queen Elizabeth II, the day after
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Issued on: 08/09/2022 – 19:31
Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II, head of the Commonwealth and monarch of 15 countries, has died aged 96 after more than 70 years on the throne, Buckingham Palace announced on Thursday. Follow our liveblog for the latest updates and reactions from around the world.
Queen Elizabeth died at the Balmoral royal estate in Scotland after having steadied and modernised the royal institution through seven decades of huge social change.
She was in her Platinum Jubilee year, marking 70 years since she succeeded her father king George VI in 1952.
“Through thick and thin, Queen Elizabeth II provided us with the stability and the strength that we needed. She was the very spirit of Great Britain – and that spirit will endure,” said the country’s new prime minister, Liz Truss.
The new king, Elizabeth’s eldest son Charles, paid homage to a “cherished Sovereign and a much-loved mother”.
Tributes poured in from around the world, with French President Emmanuel Macron hailing “a friend of France who has left her mark on her country and her century forever”.
On Friday, King Charles III is due to return to London to meet Prime Minister Liz Truss and finalise details regarding the funeral before speaking on television. British flags will be flown at half-mast, bells will be rung in London, and 96 cannon shots are expected to be fired in memory of the sovereign.