DECEMBER 5, 2022:
LONDON (AP) — St. Edward’s Crown, the centerpiece of the Crown Jewels viewed by millions of people every year at the Tower of London, has been moved to an undisclosed location for modification in preparation for the coronation of King Charles III next year. Buckingham Palace said in a statement Saturday (Dec. 3, 2022) that t.he move was kept secret for security reasons until the operation was complete. The palace provided no further details. Charles will be crowned on May 6, 2023, at Westminster Abbey in a ceremony that will embrace the past but look to the modern world after the 70-year reign of the late Queen Elizabeth II. The Imperial State Crown will also be used during the service.
SEPTEMBER 20, 2022:
LONDON (AP) — The cannons have sounded; the bells have rung; the mourners have paid their respects. Now King Charles III faces the task of preserving a 1,000-year-old monarchy that his mother nurtured for seven decades but that faces an uncertain future. The challenge is immense. Personal affection for the queen meant that the monarchy’s role in British society was rarely debated in recent years. But now that she’s gone, the royal family faces questions about whether it is still relevant in a modern, multi-cultural nation that looks very different than it did when Elizabeth ascended the throne in 1952.
SEPTEMBER 19, 2022, UPDATE:
WINDSOR, England — Queen Elizabeth II’s beloved dogs and one of her favorite ponies greeted the late monarch’s coffin when it was brought to Windsor Castle.
Corgis Muick and Sandy were brought into the castle’s quadrangle for the coffin’s arrival following the queen’s funeral at Westminster Abbey and a drive through London and on to Windsor.
Emma, a black fell pony the queen owned for 26 years, stood on the grass with a groom at the side of the Long Walk in front of the castle as the coffin procession marched past before a committal service at St. George’s Chapel.
The queen’s affection for her dogs and her horses was well known. She owned more than 30 corgis during her lifetime. Muick and Sandy have been rehomed with her son, Prince Andrew.
The royal corgis await the cortege on the day of the state funeral and burial of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth, at Windsor Castle, Monday Sept. 19, 2022.
Peter Nicholls/Pool Photo via AP.
SEPTEMBER 19, 2022:
LONDON — Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin is being taken on a gun carriage from Westminster Abbey for a last procession through the heart of London.
The coffin is being transported to Windsor, outside the British capital, where the former monarch will be laid to rest later Monday (Sept. 19, 2022).
King Charles III and other senior royals are marching behind the coffin to Wellington Arch at Hyde Park Corner. Tens of thousands of people are lining the route.
Gun salutes are being fired in nearby Hyde Park, and Big Ben is tolling at one-minute intervals during the procession.
The coffin is to be taken by hearse to Windsor, where the queen will be interred alongside her late husband, Prince Philip, who died last year.
The coffin of Queen Elizabeth II is carried into Westminster Abbey for her funeral in central London, Monday, Sept. 19, 2022. The Queen, who died aged 96 on Sept. 8, will be buried at Windsor alongside her late husband, Prince Philip, who died last year.
AP Photo/Frank Augstein, Pool.
King Charles III, and the Queen Consort attend the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II at Westminster Abbey, in central London, Monday Sept. 19, 2022. The Queen, who died aged 96 on Sept. 8, will be buried at Windsor alongside her late husband, Prince Philip, who died last year. Dominic Lipinski/Pool via AP.
SEPTEMBER 16, 2022:
WASHINGTON (AP) — Hanging out with Richard Nixon’s daughter. Swapping horseback riding stories with Ronald Reagan. Bending the ears of Donald Trump and Joe Biden on climate change. King Charles III over the years has made the acquaintance of 10 of the 14 U.S. presidents who served during his lifetime. Charles met Dwight Eisenhower when he was just 10 years old. He has recalled his first visit to the Nixon White House in 1970 as the time “they were trying to marry” him off to Tricia Nixon. Charles met Joe Biden last year. He did not meet four presidents who held office during his lifetime: Harry Truman, Gerald Ford, Lyndon Johnson and John F. Kennedy.
FILE – First lady Pat Nixon leads Princess Anne Thursday, July 16, 1970, from welcoming ceremonies at the White House. President Richard Nixon and Prince Charles walk with them. In the background are Julie and David Eisenhower.
AP Photo, File.
SEPTEMBER 15, 2022, UPDATE:
LONDON (AP) — Thousands of mourners are waiting for up to nine hours in line to file past the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II as she lies in state at Westminster Hall. The queue to pay respects to the late monarch stretched for 4.4 miles (7 kilometers) past Tower Bridge on Thursday (Sept. 15, 2022). But those in it said the nine-hour wait was worth it and authorities provided amenities like portable toilets to ease their wait. King Charles III is spending the day in “private reflection” a week after his mother died a week ago at age 96. Buckingham Palace also released details of plans for the queen’s funeral on Monday. It will be the first state funeral held in Britain since the 1965 death of former Prime Minister Winston Churchill.
SEPTEMBER 15, 2022:
LONDON — Standing in line to see the queen’s coffin as it lies in state in London is proving a test of patience and stamina for thousands of people.
By late Thursday morning (Sept. 15, 2022), the line had grown to about 3½ miles (5.6 kilometers) long on the south bank of the River Thames, reaching as far as Tower Bridge.
Authorities warn those planning to come: “You will need to stand for many hours, possibly overnight, with very little opportunity to sit down, as the queue will keep moving.”
The closed coffin sits on a raised platform, called a catafalque, inside Westminster Hall in the Houses of Parliament.
Visitors go through airport-style security. Only small bags are permitted.
The venue is to stay open 24 hours a day until just after dawn on Monday, the day of the queen’s state funeral.
People queue to pay their respect to the late Queen Elizabeth II during the Lying-in State, outside Westminster Hall in London, Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022. The Queen will lie in state in Westminster Hall for four full days before her funeral on Monday Sept. 19, 2022.
AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti.
SEPEMBER 12, 2022, UPDATE:
LONDON (AP) — Prince William and wife Kate have made a surprise joint appearance with Prince Harry and wife Meghan warmly greeting a large crowd gathered outside Windsor Castle to remember their long-reigning monarch, Queen Elizabeth II. Their “walkabout” was the first time the brothers have appeared amicably together in public since March 2020. The display of unity comes at a time when the younger generation of Britain’s royal family must step up their responsibilities significantly. William, long second-in-line to the throne, is now the heir apparent after his father, King Charles III, became Britain’s new monarch upon his mother’s death. That means William and Kate, both 40 and parents of three young children, immediately assume a much more central role as the new face of the monarchy.
From left, Britain’s Prince William, Prince of Wales, Kate, Princess of Wales, Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex wave to members of the public at Windsor Castle, following the death of Queen Elizabeth II on Thursday, in Windsor, England, Saturday, Sept. 10, 2022.
Kirsty O’Connor/Pool Photo via AP.
SEPTEMBER 12, 2022, UPDATE:
EDINBURGH, Scotland (AP) — King Charles III and his three siblings marched behind their mother’s coffin in a solemn procession along the Royal Mile in the historic heart of the Scottish capital of Edinburgh. A military bagpiper played the national anthem as the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II, draped in the royal standard, was carried from the Palace of Holyroodhouse and placed in a hearse. The king, dressed in an army uniform, and Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward walked behind as the hearse rolled to St. Giles’ Cathedral. The hearse was flanked by a bearer party of the Royal Regiment of Scotland and a detachment of The King’s Body Guard in Scotland, the Royal Company of Archers.
SEPTEMBER 12, 2022:
LONDON — A plane carrying King Charles has landed in Edinburgh, where the new monarch is due to accompany his late mother’s coffin in a procession through the heart of the Scottish capital.
The procession Monday (Sept. 12, 2022) will bear the former sovereign’s coffin to a cathedral, where it will remain for 24 hours to allow the public to pay their last respects.
Lines of people waiting to file past the coffin at St Giles’ Cathedral began forming around dawn.
Charles flew to Scotland after earlier receiving condolences from both Britain’s houses of parliament.
He told lawmakers he will follow his late mother’s example of “selfless duty.”
Britain’s King Charles III speaks at Westminster Hall, where both Houses of Parliament are meeting to express their condolences following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, at Westminster Hall, in London, Monday, Sept. 12, 2022. Queen Elizabeth II, Britain’s longest-reigning monarch, died Thursday after 70 years on the throne.
John Sibley/Pool Photo via AP.
Britain’s Prince William and Kate, Princess of Wales, left, and Britain’s Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex view the floral tributes for the late Queen Elizabeth II outside Windsor Castle, in Windsor, England, Sept. 10, 2022.
AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali.
SEPTEMBER 9, 2022, UPDATE:
LONDON (AP) — King Charles III says he feels “profound sorrow” over the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, and vows to carry on her “lifelong service” to the nation. Charles is making his first address to the nation as monarch Friday (Sept. 9, 2022). He became king on Thursday after the queen’s death. His speech was broadcast on television and streamed at St. Paul’s Cathedral, where some 2,000 people were attending a service of remembrance for the queen. Mourners at the service included Prime Minister Liz Truss and members of her government.
SEPTEMBER 9, 2022:
LONDON (AP) — Prime Minister Liz Truss says the death of Queen Elizabeth II has caused a “heartfelt outpouring of grief” in Britain and around the world. Truss spoke Friday (Sept. 9, 2022) at the start of a special session of Parliament paying tribute to the queen. Truss called the monarch “the nation’s greatest diplomat” and said her devotion to duty was an example to everyone. The prime minister was officially appointed by the queen on Tuesday (Sept. 6, 2022), just two days before her death. Truss said at the meeting, “she generously shared with me her deep experience of government, even in those last days.”
SEPTEMBER 8, 2022:
LONDON (AP)— Prince Charles has been preparing to be king his entire life. Now his moment has arrived.
Following the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, on Thursday (Sept. 8, 2022), Charles is now the oldest person to take the British throne.
No date has been set for his coronation. And it’s not immediately clear whether the new monarch would call himself Charles III or choose another name, as his grandfather did.
But Charles faces the enormous challenge of building the same sort of affection that characterized the relationship between his mother and the British public.
Will Charles be loved by his subjects, like his mother was? It’s a question that has overshadowed his entire life.
Queen Elizabeth II stands on the balcony during the Platinum Jubilee Pageant at the Buckingham Palace in London, Sunday, June 5, 2022, on the last of four days of celebrations to mark the Platinum Jubilee.
AP Photo/Frank Augstein, Pool, File.
In this March 9, 2020 file photo, Britain’s Prince Charles and Camilla the Duchess of Cornwall, in the background, leave after attending the annual Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey in London. Prince Charles has been preparing for the crown his entire life. Charles, the oldest person to ever assume the British throne, became king on Thursday Sept. 8, 2022, following the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II.
AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, File.
LONDON — British Prime Minister Liz Truss says the country is “devastated” by the death of Queen Elizabeth II, calling her “the rock on which modern Britain was built.”
Truss said the news is “a huge shock to the nation and to the world” but that the queen’s spirit will endure.
Truss was appointed by the queen just two days ago, becoming the 15th prime minister to serve during Elizabeth’s reign.
The Union Jack flag atop the prime minister’s 10 Downing Street residence was lowered to half-staff after the monarch’s death was announced.
Elizabeth died peacefully Thursday afternoon at at Balmoral Castle in Scotland. All four of her children and her grandson Prince William traveled there to be at her side.
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LONDON — Prince Charles says the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, “is a moment of the greatest sadness” for him and his family.
In a statement issued Thursday following the 96-year-old monarch’s death at her Balmoral Castle estate in Scotland, Charles said: “We mourn profoundly the passing of a cherished Sovereign and a much-loved Mother. I know her loss will be deeply felt throughout the country, the Realms and the Commonwealth, and by countless people around the world.”
Charles, who became king upon his mother’s death, said, “During this period of mourning and change, my family and I will be comforted and sustained by our knowledge of the respect and deep affection in which The Queen was so widely held.”
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LONDON — Condolences are pouring in from around the world following the death of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II.
French President Emmanuel Macron tweeted Thursday that the queen “embodied continuity and the unity of the British nation over 70 years. I retain the memory of a friend of France, a queen of hearts who marked as never before her country and her century.”
Germany’s foreign minister, Annalena Baerbock, expressed sadness at the news, tweeting: “Germany remains forever grateful that she stretched out her hand to us in reconciliation after the terror of World War II.”
Italian Premier Mario Draghi in a condolence message hailed the queen as having been “the absolute protagonist of world history of the last 70 years.” Draghi, who is now acting in a caretaker role ahead of Italian parliamentary elections later this month, said Elizabeth had represented the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth “with equilibrium, wisdom, respect for institutions and for democracy.”
Elizabeth died peacefully Thursday afternoon at at Balmoral Castle in Scotland. All four of her children and her grandson Prince William traveled to Balmoral to be at her side.
The Royal Family’s Twitter feed posted a black and white photograph of the queen smiling as they announced her death.
Outside Buckingham Palace, the news was posted on the railings as crowds gathered.
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LONDON — Buckingham Palace says Queen Elizabeth II has died.
The 96-year-old queen died peacefully at Balmoral Castle in Scotland. All four of her children and her grandson Prince William traveled to Balmoral to be at her side.
The palace says her son Charles, who is now king, and his wife Camilla, the Queen Consort, will stay at Balmoral overnight and travel to London on Friday.
Britain’s longest-reigning monarch, she marked 70 years on the throne this year.
The BBC played the national anthem over a portrait of the queen in full regalia as the queen’s death was announced.
The flag over Buckingham Palace was lowered to half staff.
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LONDON — Buckingham Palace says Queen Elizabeth II, Britain’s longest-reigning monarch, has died. She was 96.
Elizabeth spent more than seven decades on the throne as the U.K. rebuilt from war, lost an empire, transformed its economy and both entered and left the European Union.
She was a constant presence, the only monarch most Britons have ever known, and she guided the institution of the monarchy through choppy waters.
She likely met more people than anyone in history, and her image, which adorned stamps, coins and bank notes, was among the most reproduced in the world. But her inner life and opinions remained largely an enigma.
The impact of her loss will be huge, and unpredictable.
With Elizabeth’s death, her son Charles becomes Britain’s new king.
A look at the formalities that take place after Charles accedes to the throne:
— Within 24 hours of a monarch’s death, a new sovereign is proclaimed formally as soon as possible at St. James’s Palace in London by the “Accession Council.” This is made up of officials from the Privy Council, which includes senior Cabinet ministers, judges and leaders of the Church of England, who are summoned to the palace for the meeting.
— Parliament is then recalled for lawmakers to take their oaths of allegiance to the new monarch.
— The new monarch will swear an oath before the Privy Council in St. James’s Palace to maintain the Church of Scotland, according to the Act of Union of 1707.
— The proclamation of the new sovereign is then publicly read out at St. James’s Palace, as well as in Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast – the capital cities of the four nations that make up the United Kingdom.
— Charles must declare to Parliament on the first day of its session following the accession, or at the coronation, whichever is first, that he is a faithful Protestant. The oath is mandated by the Accession Declaration Act of 1910.
— He must also take a coronation oath as prescribed by the Coronation Oath Act of 1689, the Act of Settlement of 1701 and the Accession Declaration Act.
— He must be in communion with the Church of England, a flexible rule which allowed King George I and King George II to reign even though they were Lutherans.
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