On September 8, 2022, The Royal Family announced that Queen Elizabeth II had died at the age of 96.

During the hours before her death, she was in round the clock care after health concerns arose. She died at Balmoral, her castle in Scotland. It was reported that the British Royal Family traveled to Balmoral a few hours before her death was announced to spend time with her amid these concerns.

Operation London Bridge – the protocol followed in Britain following the Queen’s death – has begun immediately. This protocol is used to announce the Queen’s death. Within 10 minutes of her death, every broadcasting network and official is notified and all flags are to be lowered to half-mast.

In addition to this, the protocol also includes what steps will be taken by the royal family in the days following her death.

Prince Charles, Elizabeth’s eldest son, became King of England immediately following her death. According to the Washington Post, the succession of the Queen has been something she has been planning for a long time, including gradually introducing Charles into having “more royal duties”.

Born in April of 1926, Queen Elizabeth II was crowned queen in February of 1952 after her father King George VI’s death. She is the second longest reigning monarch in history and the longest reigning British monarch.

In 1947, she married Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (deceased as of April 2021). The couple had four children: Charles, Edward, Anne, and Andrew.

According to World History dot EDU, the Queen is most famous for her “apolitical approach” when dealing with matters, following her achievement in being Britain’s longest reigning monarch.

One of her most notable achievements was her hand in passing the Crown Act in 2013. Prior to this, princes were considered closer to the throne than princesses, even if the princess was older than the prince. After the passage of this act, the succession would no longer acknowledge gender in those in line for the throne.

Queen Elizabeth was also the first British monarch to address the United States congress in 1991. Throughout her reign, Britain’s relationship with the United States strengthened greatly.

Many countries’ leaders have expressed their condolences for the British Royal Family, as well as praised Her Majesty. ”Canadians will always remember and cherish Her Majesty’s wisdom, compassion, and warmth,” Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said (via Newsweek).

The United States’ President and First Lady commented that the Queen was “more than a monarch” and “the first British monarch to whom people all around the world could feel a personal and immediate connection” (via @POTUS and @FLOTUS’s statement on Twitter).

The death of Queen Elizabeth II is not one that will be forgotten. May she rest in peace.
April 21, 1926 – September 8, 2022.