America turned its eyes to the old country on Thursday, after the death of Queen Elizabeth II. When news of her sudden decline broke, television networks broke into programing -- almost as if a US President had died. In New York, the US Open tennis tournament and the United Nations held moments of silence to honor her passing. In Washington, flags on official buildings were lowered to half-staff. (Read More Here).
During a reign that lasted seven decades, the Queen and the royal family conjured fascination, affection and even some jealousy in a nation that broke away from the throne almost 250 years ago.
She met 13 US Presidents, starting with a visit to Washington to see Harry Truman before she became Queen. (Her first official head-of-state meeting with a US commander-in-chief was with Dwight Eisenhower). President Joe Biden, who stopped by the British embassy in Washington on Thursday to sign a book of condolences, was the last President to hold official talks with the Queen.
In a statement, Biden sent "our deepest condolences to the Royal Family, who are not only mourning their Queen, but their dear mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. Her legacy will loom large in the pages of British history, and in the story of our world."
And amid the official rituals of remembrance, there were some smaller, but poignant gestures. In Santa Monica, California, patrons showed up at "Ye Olde King's Head" a restaurant and gift shop, to buy memorabilia and share memories of the Queen.
Her son King Charles III said the death of his beloved mother was a "moment of great sadness" for him and his family and that her loss would be "deeply felt" around the world.
He 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."
During the coming period of mourning, he said he and his family would be "comforted and sustained by our knowledge of the respect and deep affection in which the Queen was so widely held".
The King and his wife, Camilla, now Queen Consort, will return to London on Friday, Buckingham Palace said. He is expected to address the nation.
Senior royals had gathered at Balmoral after the Queen's doctors became concerned about her health earlier in the day.
All the Queen's children travelled to Balmoral, near Aberdeen, after doctors placed the Queen under medical supervision.
Her grandson and now heir to the throne, Prince William, and his brother, Prince Harry, also gathered there.
Prime Minister Liz Truss, who was appointed by the Queen on Tuesday, said the monarch was the rock on which modern Britain was built, who had "provided us with the stability and strength that we needed".
Speaking about the new King, she said: "We offer him our loyalty and devotion, just as his mother devoted so much, to so many, for so long.
"And with the passing of the second Elizabethan age, we usher in a new era in the magnificent history of our great country, exactly as Her Majesty would have wished, by saying the words 'God save the King'."
The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby - spiritual leader to the Church of England of which the monarch is supreme governor - expressed his "profound sadness".
He said his "prayers are with the King and the Royal Family". As senior Royal family members lead the late Queen Elizabeth II with her late husband Prince Philip to her final resting place in the King George VI Memorial Chapel, tomorrow evening, September 19, 2022, the Latin word, Veni, vidi, vici are going to be in the mouths of palace biographers and historians expected to pay their last respects to the woman, who redefined British monarchy.
Following the Queen’s coffin will be the King, Anne, Andrew and Edward. Behind them will be the Queen’s grandsons, Peter Phillips, the Duke of Sussex and the Prince of Wales.
As The Queen’s son-in-law, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, her cousin the Duke of Gloucester and her nephew the Earl of Snowdon will follow them.
The procession, led by massed Pipes & Drums of Scottish and Irish Regiments, the Brigade of Gurkhas, and the Royal Air Force and numbering 200 musicians, will arrive at 10.52 a.m. and the coffin will be carried into the Abbey for the service.
The doors to Westminster Abbey will have opened at 8.00 am to allow the general congregation to take their seats, with a total of 2,000 people expected to gather for the funeral of the Queen who came, saw and conquered.
No comments:
Post a Comment