On September 8th, Queen Elizabeth passed away in her home. At St. James Palace in London, the Accession Council declared Charles, her son, King and will inherit the crown. Reuters reports, King Charles III states that “the death of my beloved Mother, Her Majesty The Queen, is a moment of the greatest sadness for me and all members of my family.” The king has set a 7 day mourning period, as to give time for people to grief the loss.
There is a 10 day plan to honor her life in different ceremonies. According to NPR Europe, the first day after passing, the flag was at half-staff until her funeral the following morning. The United Kingdom Prime Minister Liz Truss as well as Charles III issues statements to the public. However, for the following week it will consist of gun salutes, delivering tributes, a prayer service and reflection, and these services are open to the general public and streamed online for those who cannot be there.
Though it may not affect our daily life as much as those in the United Kingdom, her death is significant in numerous other ways.
Queen Elizabeth’s ruling began in 1953, on June 2nd at Westminster Abbey in London. This was the first coronation to ever be televised. At only age 25, she was proclaimed queen, following the death of her father, King George VI. Her reign lasted 70 years, which is the longest serving monarch in British history. Most of us have not seen another queen or king ruling in the Kingdom.
Not only did she serve with grace and gain the respect of those around the world, she was a role-model to everyone, a symbol of stability, and worked her hardest for people of all social classes. Fun fact, her real birthday was on April 21st, but in London, she was also celebrated in June. Her reign was also the first to travel to 117 countries, which included the 56 Commonwealth states, reported by the Washington Post.
Another reason why the queen was loved by all was that she never gave an interview or publicly discussed anything controversial. In some ways people say she modernized the monarchy. This is proven by numerous social media memes, pictures, and television. The memes are typically with kind intentions and always more comedic than anything malicious. Those who have adored her for years know that she loved horses and anything one could do outdoors. She also loved corgis. She owned over 30 corgis in her lifetime, helping to humanize her and make us feel closer with her.
Although this was global news, there was a sense of sadness throughout our campus. Despite not knowing her personally, she was the only queen us students have ever known, so it is normal to feel a sense of loss.