Queen Elizabeth II is dead, long live the king. A Windsor expert speaks about Charles III’s legacy. – and the British Kingdom. The news ticker.
- Farewell to Queen Elizabeth II: Merkel condoles.
- Funeral service for Queen Elizabeth II : Numerous government politicians and heads of state – with three exceptions.
- British royal family is confronted with its past. Is a break required?
- The news ticker on the death of Queen Elizabeth II and mourning in Great Britain is continuously updated.
Update from September 14, 6:17 a.m .: In London, many hours before Queen Elizabeth II lay in state, the first queues of mourners who want to say goodbye to the Queen formed. According to British media, many people stayed in Parliament on Wednesday night to pay their respects to the monarch during the day. Aid organizations provided those waiting with hot drinks and snacks, the BBC reported. It could still be very uncomfortable: meteorologists predicted heavy rain in the British capital on Wednesday morning.
The coffin will be taken to Westminster Hall, the oldest part of the British Parliament, in the afternoon (local time). The procession is scheduled to leave Buckingham Palace at 3:22 p.m. CEST (2:22 p.m. local time). Many members of the royal family are expected to attend. From early evening, the population can walk past the coffin for four days until the state funeral takes place on Monday. Hundreds of thousands are expected, some estimates assume up to two million people and extremely long waiting times.
Update from September 13, 9:50 p.m .: The body of Queen Elizabeth II has arrived at Buckingham Palace. King Charles III, who had previously returned from Northern Ireland. received his mother’s coffin in London on Tuesday night. Also present were Charles’ brothers, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward, and all of their grandchildren, including Prince William and Prince Harry. The coffin had previously – accompanied by Queen’s daughter Princess Anne – been transferred with a Royal Air Force machine from Scotland and brought from west London to the palace, where it was to remain overnight in the so-called Bow Room.
As in Edinburgh, thousands of people lined the streets of London along the route of the hearse and in front of the palace to catch a glimpse of the coffin. When the car reached Buckingham Palace, people greeted it with applause. The car was illuminated from the inside so that the coffin could be seen through the window panes despite the darkness. It was a state hearse, the design of which was approved by the Queen herself.
Update from September 13, 9:07 p.m .: Chancellor Olaf Scholz paid tribute to the late Queen in a book of condolences in the British Embassy in Berlin. “In silent memory of a great European and promoter of German-British friendship,” wrote the SPD politician on Tuesday evening. Her commitment to international understanding pointed the way out of the post-war period of the 21st century. “She will never be forgotten.”
Queen’s last trip: coffin arrived in London
Update from September 13, 8 p.m.: The dead Queen Elizabeth II is back in London. A British Air Force transport plane carrying the Queen’s coffin landed at Northolt Air Force Base in the west of the British capital on Tuesday. There he was received with military honors. British Prime Minister Liz Truss and Defense Secretary Ben Wallace also attended the ceremony. Princess Anne joined her mother on her recent flight from Edinburgh aboard the C-17 Globemaster aircraft with her husband Tim Laurence.
The coffin was then driven to Buckingham Palace, where it was carried by Elizabeth’s son, King Charles III. is received and stays overnight in the so-called Bow Room. Despite the rain, numerous people waited along the route towards the city center and at the palace to catch a glimpse of the hearse. This Wednesday, a funeral procession will take the coffin to Parliament, where it will be laid out for several days.
Update from September 13, 7:08 p.m .: Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin is on its way to London. Scottish Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon and Britain’s Scotland Secretary Alister Jack stood by on Tuesday as an honor guard at Edinburgh Airport offered a final salute to the dead Queen. Porters brought the coffin aboard a British Air Force transport plane. The British national anthem was played then the C-17 Globemaster aircraft took off. Also on board were Queen’s daughter, Princess Anne, and her husband, Admiral Tim Laurence.
The machine was scheduled to land at RAF Northolt Air Force Base in west London less than an hour later. From there, the coffin is then driven to Buckingham Palace, where it is presented by King Charles III. is received and stays overnight in the so-called Bow Room. On Wednesday, a funeral procession will take the coffin to Parliament, where the Queen will be laid out for several days.
Farewell to Queen Elizabeth II: Merkel says goodbye
Update from September 13, 6:27 p.m .: Former Chancellor Angela Merkel entered the book of condolence for the Queen in the British Embassy in Berlin. She was received by Ambassador Jill Gallard on Tuesday. Berlin’s Governing Mayor Franziska Giffey also expressed her sadness. She laid flowers in front of the embassy and also signed the book. Elizabeth II died on Thursday at the age of 96 at her country estate at Balmoral Castle in Scotland.
Update from September 13, 6:06 p.m .: Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin has started the first leg of its journey to London. He left St Giles Cathedral in the Scottish capital Edinburgh on Tuesday afternoon on the shoulders of several pallbearers and was taken to the airport in a hearse.
Along the route crowds of onlookers again lined the streets to catch a glimpse of the decorated coffin through the car windows. At 7 p.m. CEST, the coffin was to be flown to London in a Royal Air Force plane, accompanied by Queen’s daughter Princess Anne and her husband, and landed almost an hour later.
From a military airport in the west of the capital, the coffin is then driven to Buckingham Palace, where it stays overnight in the so-called Bow Room. On Wednesday, a funeral procession will take the coffin to Parliament, where the Queen will be laid out for several days.
Farewell to the Queen: “Extraordinary sign of respect”
Update from September 13, 4:01 p.m .: The queue for Queen Elizabeth II’s wake in Edinburgh is closed. The Scottish regional government called on the population not to come to St. Giles Cathedral, where the closed coffin of the Queen is laid out. So far, more than 26,000 people have paid their respects to the Queen. They sometimes stood in line for many hours, even overnight. The government stressed that an attempt was made to allow all mourners who were still in line to see the coffin.
Deputy Speaker of the House of Lords Ian Duncan said tens or even hundreds of thousands of people flocked to Edinburgh. “This is an extraordinary show of respect, sadness, honoring an extraordinary woman,” Duncan told Australia’s Radio National.
Update from September 13, 2:31 p.m .: According to a media report, representatives of some states are undesirable at the state funeral for Queen Elizabeth II. Russia and Belarus, on which Britain has imposed numerous sanctions because of the Ukraine war, and Myanmar (Southeast Asia) have not received an invitation to the ceremony, the PA news agency reported, citing London government sources. Iran, with which diplomatic relations are strained, will only be represented at ambassadorial level.
Queen Elizabeth II: Funeral service with numerous government politicians – with three exceptions
From most countries, the head of state is invited with an accompanying person. A total of around 500 heads of state and government, members of royal families and other dignitaries are expected in the British capital for the funeral service on Monday (September 19). Among others, US President Joe Biden and Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier have been announced. “This is the largest international event we have organized in the past few decades,” the platform quoted a British source as saying. The challenge is comparable to planning hundreds of state visits within a few days.
Update from September 13, 12:57 p.m .: King Charles III. has only been on the British throne for a few days. After the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth II on September 8th, the crown passed to the eternal heir to the throne, who is already facing criticism. His royal promotion was also a topic of conversation at the 2022 Emmy Awards – and not in a good way.
Queen Elizabeth II dies: Colonialism and Commonwealth debate
Original article from September 13, 2022:
London – Andrew Morton is considered an insider with ties to the British royal family. He even wrote the sensational autobiography of the late Lady Diana. The British Royals expert comments on the death of Queen Elizabeth II and her heir to the throne, King Charles III.
The 69-year-old tells an anecdote about the dismay of King Charles III. in the days after his mother’s death in Scotland: “Only Charles and Princess Anne drove to Balmoral in time to sit on the Queen’s deathbed.” In England’s capital London, however, Morton’s daughter met Prince Charles on a tour: “She saw his red eyes and that he was clearly crying,” Morton elaborates.
After the death of the monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, the “British Empire” may be facing a major upheaval. Andrew Morton agrees: “It is clear that Queen Elizabeth’s death will now trigger debates (…). In Australia, Canada and some Caribbean countries there will be debates as to whether Charles should remain head of state.” So the influence in terms of the Commonwealth of Nations could be fading.
British royal family: Insults because of colonial times – Royals expert defends Queen
In the course of the change of power in Great Britain, the dark days of colonization came back to the fore: “The British were by no means a perfect empire,” says Morton. Military action “with indiscriminate bombardments of the population would be considered a war crime by today’s standards”. In his opinion, however, that does not justify the numerous insults against post-colonial activists, which rained down on the British royal family after the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
The 69-year-old also considers the accusation of racism against the royal family to be unjustified: “There is nothing to suggest it, there is not even a concrete indication,” explains Morton and accuses TV presenter Oprah Winfrey of making the accusation in an interview with Duchess Meghan not having questioned: “I think it was an oversight on Oprah. Anyone who knew the Queen personally says very clearly that skin color never played a role for her.” and classes.”
Thousands of people are expected in London in the coming days to pay their last respects to Queen Elizabeth II. How does national mourning affect tourists?
