Tragedy struck on September 8 in England. The Royal Family released a statement at 11:30 a.m. Mountain Time revealing that Queen Elizabeth II had peacefully passed away at Balmoral Castle, her Scottish estate. Queen Elizabeth was the United Kingdom’s longest serving monarch, reigning for 70 years. The Queen was 96 years old and was succeeded by Charles III and his wife, now Queen Consort Camilla. Charles mourned the death of his beloved mother and said, “Her loss will be deeply felt throughout the country, the realms and the Commonwealth, and by countless people around the world.” Charles is Britain’s first king since 1952 and enters his new role at a time of uncertainty for Britain. The country just elected a new prime minister, Liz Truss, and is facing great inflation and perhaps a future recession.
The Queen’s health had been declining for some time, forcing her to cancel many public appearances in recent years, but this is still an immeasurable loss for British citizens. As the sun set in London yesterday, people began to gather in front of Buckingham Palace, grieving their late queen. These crowds echo those of Princess Diana’s in 1997 when it was announced she had been killed in a car crash. The Royal Family has entered a period of mourning with all British flags to be flown at half mast and official engagements canceled. Her funeral will be held on September 19, 2022 at Westminster Abbey.

CORRECTION: This article has been updated on 9/11/2022 with the correct date for Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral, previously reported as Sept. 18, 2022; h/t to Cathy Lydon.