8th September 2022
Queen Elizabeth II 1926 - 2022
This is the statement from Buckingham Palace following the death of the Queen.
"The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon. The King and The Queen Consort will remain at Balmoral this evening and will return to London tomorrow."
King Charles III issued a statement commenting on the death of his mother the Queen, who has died at the age of 96.
The Queen’s eldest son, who will now formally be known as His Majesty the King, said
"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.
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 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."
Liz Truss, the Prime Minister of two days, said
“We are all devastated by the news we have just heard from Balmoral."
“The death of Her Majesty the Queen is a huge shock to the nation and to the world."
“Queen Elizabeth II was the rock on which modern Britain was built. Our country has grown and flourished under her reign."
“Britain is the great country it is today because of her."
"She ascended the throne just after the Second World War. She championed the development of the Commonwealth from a small group of seven countries to a family of 56 nations spanning every continent of the world."
“We are now a modern, thriving, dynamic nation."
“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."
“She has been our longest-ever reigning monarch. It is an extraordinary achievement to have presided with such dignity and grace for 70 years."
“Her life of service stretched beyond most of our living memories."
“In return, she was loved and admired by the people in the United Kingdom and all around the world."
“She has been a personal inspiration to me and to many Britons. Her devotion to duty is an example to us all."
“Earlier this week, at 96, she remained determined to carry out her duties as she appointed me as her 15th prime minister."
“Throughout her life she has visited more than 100 countries and she has touched the lives of millions around the world."
“In the difficult days ahead, we will come together with our friends … across the United Kingdom, the Commonwealth and the world … to celebrate her extraordinary lifetime of service."
“It is a day of great loss, but Queen Elizabeth II leaves a great legacy."
“Today the Crown passes – as it is has done for more than a thousand years – to our new monarch, our new head of state: His Majesty King Charles III."
“With the King’s family, we mourn the loss of his mother."
“And as we mourn, we must come together as a people to support him. To help him bear the awesome responsibility that he now carries for us all."
“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.”
Statement on the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II by former PM Boris Johnson
This is our country’s saddest day. In the hearts of every one of us there is an ache at the passing of our Queen, a deep and personal sense of loss – far more intense, perhaps, than we expected.
In these first grim moments since the news, I know that millions and millions of people have been pausing whatever they have been doing, to think about Queen Elizabeth, about the bright and shining light that has finally gone out.
She seemed so timeless and so wonderful that I am afraid we had come to believe, like children, that she would just go on and on.
Wave after wave of grief is rolling across the world, from Balmoral – where our thoughts are with all the Royal Family – and breaking far beyond this country and throughout that great Commonwealth of nations that she so cherished and which cherished her in return.
As is so natural with human beings, it is only when we face the reality of our loss that we truly understand
what has gone. It is only really now that we grasp how much she meant for us, how much she did for us, how much she loved us.
As we think of the void she leaves, we understand the vital role she played, selflessly and calmly embodying the continuity and unity of our country. We think of her deep wisdom, and historic understanding, and her seemingly inexhaustible but understated sense of duty. Relentless though her diary must have felt, she never once let it show, and to tens of thousands of events – great and small – she brought her smile and her warmth and her gentle humour – and for an unrivalled 70 years she spread that magic around her Kingdom.
This is our country’s saddest day because she had a unique and simple power to make us happy. That is why we loved her. That is why we grieve for Elizabeth the Great, the longest serving and in many ways the finest monarch in our history.
It was one of her best achievements that she not only modernised the constitutional monarchy, but produced an heir to her throne who will amply do justice to her legacy, and whose own sense of duty is in the best traditions of his mother and his country.
Queens Coronation 1953 From June and Pete Hawley - Names in Photo Gallery 1
Though our voices may still be choked with sadness we can say with confidence the words not heard in this country for more than seven decades.
God Save The King.
