"God save the King": is the new text of the British anthem after the United Kingdom has lost its queen and is preparing to see the new king crowned. The eldest son of Elizabeth II, who died yesterday at the age of 96, will be proclaimed in a ceremony tomorrow with the name of Charles III . While the solemn funeral is scheduled for September 19 at Westminster Abbey.
Since the news of the sovereign's disappearance spread, messages of condolence have been arriving from all over the world and for hours the subjects have been carrying flowers and cards in front of Buckingham Palace to pay homage to their queen, the one they saw photographed for the last time a few days ago, on the occasion of the meeting, at Balmoral Castle, with the new Prime Minister, Liz Truss .
And to think that when she was born, on April 21, 1926, no one thought she would become queen, because she was the daughter of the Duke of York, brother of the future sovereign Edward VIII who then abdicated, and therefore George VI ascended the throne. The sudden death of the latter led her to wear the crown at a very young age, and her speech to the people heralded the foundations of a long Elizabethan age: "I declare before you that my entire life, be it long or short , will be dedicated to your service and to the service of our great imperial family ”. A family that has given her more than one problem: from the marriage of her son Carlo , with the tragic death of Lady Diana, to the divorce of Prince Andrew from Sarah Ferguson, the same fate befell his daughter Anna . Edoardo is married to Sophie Rhys-Jones instead. More recently, there is the story linked to Prince Harry, second son of Charles and Diana, who after his wedding with Meghan Markle gave birth to more than a "long-distance" clash with the royal family.
In short, quite other issues with respect to Elizabeth's marriage, the one with Philip , which lasted until his death, which took place on April 9 last year . Surely between ups and downs, but always in compliance with the protocol, and apparently happy.
Now everything is ready to see Charles III ascend the throne. There was much rumor that the queen would abdicate in favor of her nephew William; instead the eldest son, as per tradition, will reign together with his wife, Camilla. The proclamation tomorrow morning.
(Unioneonline / ss)
All Updates:
16.25 - Camilla "queen consort"
The official website of the British monarchy has also updated on the web the title recognized to Camilla, second wife of Charles. Title that becomes that of "Her Majesty the Queen Consort" - as recognized yesterday in the press releases of Buckingham Palace after the death of Elizabeth II - in place of that of Duchess of Cornwall. "Her Majesty the Queen Consort (until now Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Cornwall) supports her husband, the former Prince of Wales, now Her Majesty the King, in carrying out his work and duties - now reads the profile. Camilla - She carries out public activities of patronage of the charitable institutions she supports ".
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3.10 pm - Carlo in London, the crowd cheers him
King Charles has arrived at Buckingham Palace, to formally take possession of the throne inherited from Queen Elizabeth, who died yesterday in Balmorlal. The new sovereign, dressed in the dark suit of mourning, was greeted by the crowd huddled behind the barriers near the entrance and stopped to exchange words and handshakes with several people: receiving smiles, greetings and messages at the same time. of condolences.
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13.13 - Death bells and cannon shots in memory of Elizabeth II
Death bells in these minutes in London - from St Paul's Cathedral to Westminster - in memory of Queen Elizabeth, who passed away yesterday after 70 years of reign. This is the signal that even formally sets in motion today the official mourning machine, marked, subsequently, by the 96 cannon volleys - one for each of the years lived by Her Majesty - parades from Hyde Park as from other places in the country by departments military of honor. Previously Downing Street had issued a note to communicate, on the sidelines of a meeting of the new Tory government of Liz Truss, the "full unity" of the executive in support of the new King Charles III.
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12.43 - Premier League, the seventh day postponed
At a meeting this morning, Premier League clubs paid tribute to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. "To honor his extraordinary life and contribution to the nation, and out of respect, this weekend's Premier League round will be postponed, including Monday night's game," the statement read. "This is a tremendously sad time not only for the nation, but also for the millions of people around the world who have admired her and we join all those who mourn her passing," said Richard Masters, CEO of the Premier League.
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11.49 - Ceremony in Edinburgh, coffin exposed for 24 hours
Tens of thousands of people are expected in Edinburgh, where a ceremony for Queen Elizabeth II is being organized this weekend. The Guardian reports this, stating that teams of carpenters have been working since this morning to set up scaffolding and lighting. The function will be held in the presence of the royal family in St. Giles Cathedral, where the coffin will then remain on display for 24 hours. Tight security measures are being put in place throughout Edinburgh and several roads have been closed.
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11.33 am - The court in mourning until seven days after the funeral
A period of mourning for the royal family will be observed from now until seven days after Queen Elizabeth's funeral. This is what is stated in a statement released by Buckingham Palace. The date of the funeral of the sovereign who died yesterday has not yet been officially confirmed, but according to the British media it should be Monday 19 September. Court mourning is different from national mourning, the details of which will be communicated within the day. It is expected to be observed by "members of the royal family, royal family staff and representatives of the royal house on official duty, along with troops engaged in ceremonial duties."
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11.17 am - Prince Harry has left Balmoral
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, left Balmoral alone at around 8.15am this morning. A Guardian photographer immortalized him with a distraught face as he crossed in a car, escorted by a convoy, the places covered by flowers that had been placed in homage to his late grandmother.
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10.53 - Only Carlo and Anna present at the time of death
Only her children Charles and Anna were at Queen Elizabeth's bedside when she died yesterday at Balmoral Castle. This was stated by the Mail online, according to which the other closest members of the royal family arrived later. The eldest son and new king, together with the princess, were in fact already in Scotland and therefore in the face of a medical situation that precipitated in a few hours they managed not to miss the appointment. This was not the case for the other two children of the queen, Andrea and Edoardo, the latter's wife Sophie and Prince William, who arrived together by car but too late. So also for the "rebellious" grandson Harry: he was flying to Scotland when the death of his grandmother was announced.
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9.56 am - Al-Sissi, "he ruled with great wisdom"
"I express sincere condolences, on behalf of myself and the Egyptian people, to the royal family, the British government and the people of the United Kingdom for the death of Queen Elizabeth II, who ruled her country for many decades with great wisdom": he writes on Facebook the Egyptian president Abdel Fattah Al-Sissi. "I affirm our determination to work with King Charles to strengthen the relations of our friendly countries and peoples," he continued. "My condolences to the British nation for this remarkable affliction. I have full confidence in King Charles' ability to fill the void left by Queen Elizabeth," he concluded.
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8.30 - Kenyatta, "great icon of selfless service"
Queen Elizabeth was "an imposing icon of selfless service", Kenyatta's outgoing president Uhuru Kenyatta declared today, expressing his "deep sense of loss" over the death of the monarch. "Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II has been an impressive icon of selfless service to humanity and a key figure not only for the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth of Nations, of which Kenya is a distinguished member, but for the whole world" Kenyatta stressed, stating that he "received the sad news ... with great pain and a deep sense of loss". Kenyatta recalled the former British colony's close ties with the queen.
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7 am - Xi Jinping's condolences to the British people
Chinese President Xi Jinping today offered his "sincere condolences to the British royal family, government and people" on the death of Queen Elizabeth II. "On behalf of the Chinese government and people, as well as on his behalf, Xi expressed deep condolences," said state broadcaster CCTV. "His death is a huge loss to the British people," said the Chinese head of state.
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HERE all the news about Queen Elizabeth
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La regina Elisabetta è morta, la notizia fa il giro del mondo