Buckingham Palace has announced that Queen Elizabeth II passed away at Balmoral Castle in Aberdeenshire, Scotland on September 8, 2022, at 1:30 p.m. EST.
Queen Elizabeth’s reign was seventy years long, and the only one most Britons have witnessed in their lifetime. On February 6, 1952, at age 25, Elizabeth became Queen of the United Kingdom following her father, King George VI’s death, and would go on to reign for seven decades. Along with the United Kingdom, the Queen’s reign reached across the commonwealth, which is a set of countries including Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and many others that were former territories of the British Empire.
Following Queen Elizabeth’s passing, Prince Charles, the eldest son of the Queen, immediately began his reign as the new monarch. His wife Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, became Queen Consort. Following them in the line of succession are King Charles’ oldest son Prince William followed in order by Price William’s children, Prince George of Wales, Princess Charlotte of Wales, and Prince Louis of Wales.
Queen Elizabeth’s passing has sparked worldwide controversy as people look back on her life. Although loved by many, some did not take kindly to the monarch during her reign. Disdain for the royal family is mostly the result of centuries of British imperialism and colonization. At the beginning of the Queen’s reign, the British Empire brutally controlled 70 territories, causing people of the countries once controlled by the British Empire to not mourn the queen’s death. Some people of Kenya did not mourn the Queen because of the 1.5 million people forced into concentration camps and tortured during her reign. Along with many African countries, some Irish people were very vocal about their joy as a result of the queen’s passing, joining in chants at soccer matches like “Lizzy’s in a box.” The Irish’s dislike of the royal family dates back to the Middle Ages when Ireland was overtaken and controlled by the British monarchy and government.
On the other hand, many are upset with the passing of Her Majesty. People around the world are taking their time mourning the loss. After the queen’s death, Operation London Bridge went into effect, which is the plan of how the United Kingdom would handle the death of Queen Elizabeth. This plan includes the beginning of the swapping of currency in the UK to the bills with the new king’s face. The plan also includes the details for the queen’s funeral, held at Westminster Abbey on September 19. Now that her reign is over, a new era has begun in British history led by King Charles III.
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