Popular and royal tributes have multiplied in the United Kingdom throughout the week, to greet the reign of Queen Elizabeth II, who died on September 8 at the age of 96. Relive the best moments of the last ten days marked by the emotion of the British, the first steps of King Charles III and the official commemorations.
• Thursday, September 8: the death of the queen is announced
After an afternoon of uncertainty about the Queen’s health, her death was announced at 7:30 p.m. (French time). The operation of the London Bridge is launched, which regulates every detail of the protocol after the death of the sovereign.
“The Queen passed away peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon. The King and Queen Consort ‘will stay at Balmoral tonight and return to London tomorrow,’ reads the statement posted on Twitter at 7:30 p.m. on the official Twitter account. of the Royal Family.
A message that at the same time enthrones Carlos, who becomes Carlos III, and Camila, queen consort. “The death of my dear mother, her Majesty her Queen, is a moment of great sadness for me and for all the members of my family,” the new king publishes. The crowd chants “Long Live the King” in front of Buckingham.
• Friday September 9: first speech of King Carlos III
From Buckingham Palace, Charles III addresses the British, for the first time as king, in a televised speech. He promises them “unwavering devotion,” and pledges, like the Queen in 1952, “for as long as God grants me, to uphold the constitutional principles that are at the heart of our nation.”
It also announces that William and Kate will become Prince and Princess of Wales, and expresses “love” to Harry and Meghan “as they continue to build their lives abroad.”
He finally has a word for Camilla, his wife since 2005, but the great love of his life since the 1970s: “I know that she will meet the demands of her new role with the unwavering dedication that I count on so much.”
• Saturday September 10: Carlos is proclaimed king
Charles is officially proclaimed king, at the Accession Council meeting in London. The ceremony takes place at St. James’s Palace in the presence of the new Queen Consort Camilla, the new heir to the throne William, Prime Minister Liz Truss and several of her predecessors.
But the strong image of the day is above all the appearance of William, Kate, Harry and Meghan, together, in Windsor, who came to greet the crowd and signal a reconciliation. It is the first time that the children of King Charles III and his famous cold wives have been seen together since March 2020. The image made headlines in the British press the following day.
• Sunday September 11: The Queen leaves Balmoral
The Queen’s coffin leaves Balmoral for Edinburgh. Along the way, thousands of people gather in silence to pay a final tribute to the sovereign, whom many have known all their lives.
• Monday September 12: Farewell to the Scots
The king addresses Parliament for the first time and says he “feels the weight of history”. That same Monday, a procession carries the coffin of the queen from Holyroodhouse to Saint-Gilles cathedral. Behind the hearse, flanked by soldiers in kilts, they walk alongside Carlos III and his brothers and sisters, Ana, Eduardo and Andrés.
• Tuesday September 13: The Queen leaves Scotland
Charles III travels to Belfast for his first visit as British monarch to Northern Ireland, a delicate stage of his tour. Indeed, the country has seen a resurgence of community tensions since Brexit. It was in Ireland that Charles III, confronted with a leaky pen, became very upset.
That same day, the coffin left Edinburgh and Scotland, which the queen loved so much, to arrive in London. Escorted by Princess Anne, the monarch’s remains were boarded a Royal Air Force plane, carried by soldiers in full dress.
“I had the opportunity to share the last 24 hours of my dear Mother’s life. It was an honor and a privilege to accompany her on her last journey,” says Anne.
• Wednesday 14 September: a moving procession in London
In a solemn procession Meticulously unrolled, the oak coffin leaves Buckingham Palace at 2:22 p.m., followed on foot, at a pace of 75 steps per minute, by her four children, King Charles, Princess Anne and her brothers Andrew and Edward. . Next, side by side, are Princes William and Harry.
An “ordeal” for Prince William, to whom this procession brings “memories”, as he will confide the next day, evoking the funeral of his mother, Princess Diana, in September 1997. The coffin is placed in Westminster Hall, for the public to come and meditate.
• Thursday September 15: the British come to say goodbye to their queen
Then, for many Britons, hours of waiting begin to access the oldest room in Parliament where the sovereign lies in an oak coffin, on an imposing catafalque crowned by the sparkling imperial crown. A queue is formed that exceeds 7 kilometers and represents eight hours of waiting.
Tears, bows, kisses sent stealthily, all pay their respects, during the brief moment they spend in front of the coffin. A guard faints and collapses.
• Friday September 16: the “vigil of the princes”
As the British farewell continues, the queen’s four children, Charles, Anne, Andrew and Edward, watch over their mother’s coffin for about ten minutes at night.
The footballer David Beckham, who snuck into the queue in the middle of the anonymous patient 12 hours to also pay tribute to the queen. “She always put us at ease. We always feel safe because of her,” he slips as he leaves.
• Saturday September 17: vigil for the Queen’s grandchildren
As the tributes begin their final stretch, and now it is necessary to queue for 24 hours to approach the queen’s coffin, the queen’s eight grandchildren take turns watching over her coffin.
William and Harry, authorized to wear their military uniform, gather around the coffin, along with Eugenie and Beatrice, Andrew’s daughters, Peter and Zara, Anne and Louise’s sons and James, ‘Edward’s sons,
• Sunday September 18: arrival of dignitaries
From all over the world, dignitaries and crowned heads, invited to the Queen’s funeral on September 19, begin to arrive in London. Arriving the night before, US President Joe Biden meditates before the remains of the queen. Emmanuel Macron is also expected in London this Sunday.
It is also, for the British, the last day to see the Queen. At the end of the morning, due to the waiting time which is still 1:00 p.m., the public is invited not to queue “to avoid disappointment”. The doors to Westminster Hall will close permanently at 6:30am on Monday morning (7:30am in France).
At 8 p.m., the United Kingdom must stand still for a “moment of reflection” in memory of his sovereign. A tribute to “mourn and reflect on the life and legacy of Queen Elizabeth II”, according to Downing Street.
Source: BFM TV
