‘We mourn profoundly the passing of a cherished Sovereign and a much-loved Mother. I know her loss will be deeply felt’
King Charles III
The Queen is dead, long live the King. The Commonwealth now has a new monarch after news that Queen Elizabeth II had passed peacefully on 8 September at Balmoral Castle, at the age of 96.
Her death brought an overwhelming sense of grief around the world, for a woman they have known all their lives, who stoically served the sovereignty for 70 years. It is a milestone unlikely to be repeated again. Another legacy is that it is unlikely there will be a ruling queen again for many generations.
Charles is now King Charles III, however, his coronation may be months away due to the planning involved. His wife Camilla, 75, is now Queen Consort, an unprecedented decision Queen Elizabeth II announced on Waitangi Day this year to mark her Platinum Jubilee.
She was our Queen, but she was also a devoted mother of four, had eight grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren.
Her immediate family had rushed to be with her at Balmoral Castle in Aberdeen to say their final goodbyes on Thursday afternoon, UK time – her two eldest children Prince Charles, 73, and Princess Anne, 72, were already with her when her medical staff advised there was not much time left.
Prince Andrew, 62, and Prince Edward, 58, and his wife Sophie, 57, flew north with Prince William, who at the age of 40 is now heir to the throne. His wife Catherine, also 40, remained in London as the Cambridge children had just started a new school. Their oldest
