Queen Elizabeth II is dead. The news of the death was officially confirmed by Buckingham Palace on the evening of September 8, 2022. Prince Charles’ mother had been on the British throne since 1952 and was Britain’s longest reigning monarch.
British Queen Elizabeth II’s secretary said the words: “London Bridge is down,” signifying that the procedures prescribed by court protocol for the monarch’s death have begun. Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II died on the afternoon of September 8, 2022, at Balmoral Palace, Scotland.
Elizabeth II was famous for her longevity. As of September 9, 2015, Queen Elizabeth II was Britain’s longest reigning monarch, breaking the record held by Queen Victoria (63 years, 7 months and 2 days), whose great-granddaughter she was. Queen Elizabeth enjoyed excellent health for many years, and it was widely believed to be due to the genes of her queen mother, Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, who lived to be 102.
Her Majesty was rarely ill. 1949 she contracted measles and was quarantined. Many of her health problems were related to her greatest passion, equestrianism. In 1994, she broke her wrist when falling off a horse. Shortly after the accident, the queen got on the saddle and rode off to the palace as if nothing had happened. It wasn’t until the next day that she turned to a doctor, who put her in a cast.
In 2013, Elizabeth II was hospitalized for gastritis. Her prolonged convalescence prevented her from attending the Commonwealth Day. In 2018, on the other hand, the monarch underwent surgery to remove cataracts, but the procedure did not involve a hospital stay. In 2020, she appeared in public for the first time with a hearing aid. In 2021, in turn, she began using a cane.
In September 2022, Buckingham Palace broke the news that doctors were concerned about the monarch’s health. Members of the immediate family – Princes Charles, William, Andrew and Edward, Princess Anne, and Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle – arrived at Balmoral, where Elizabeth II was staying at the time.
Funeral of Queen Elizabeth II
Details of the funeral ceremony were drawn up in the 1960s and have been kept up to date. It is known that the coffin will be placed in the Throne Room at Buckingham Palace. Four days after Her Majesty’s death, it will be moved to Westminster Hall, where it will remain for another four days.
A state funeral will be held at Westminster Abbey nine days after the death, after which the monarch’s body will be buried in a tomb in St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle. The Queen’s husband, Prince Philip, who died on April 9, 2021, also rests there.
