Tributes paid to Queen Elizabeth II

At 6.30pm Buckingham Palace confirmed the death of Queen Elizabeth II at the age of 96.

A statement from the Palace said:

“The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon. The King and The Queen Consort will remain at Balmoral this evening and will return to London tomorrow.”

The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon.

The King and The Queen Consort will remain at Balmoral this evening and will return to London tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/VfxpXro22W

— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) September 8, 2022

The Queen’s eldest son and heir Prince Charles is now King. She leaves behind four children, eight grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren, including Prince George, Princess Charlotte, Prince Louis, Archie and Lilibet.

The UK is now in a period of official mourning with her funeral expected to take place within a fortnight.

A statement from King Charles III read:

“The death of my beloved Mother, Her Majesty the Queen, is a moment of the greatest sadness for me and all members of my family.

“We mourn profoundly the passing of a cherished Sovereign and a much-loved Mother. I know her loss will be deeply felt throughout the country, the Realms and the Commonwealth, and by countless people around the world.

“During this period of mourning and change, my family and I will be comforted and sustained by our knowledge of the respect and deep affection in which The Queen was so widely held.”

It was first reported at 12.39pm today that the Queen’s doctors were “concerned” about her health and that she was “under medical supervision” at Balmoral where she was to be joined by family members imminently. The news broke at 6.39pm that the Monarch had passed away.

Her Majesty Elizabeth II reigned for the longest period in British history. Over the course of her seventy-year reign, she appointed 15 Prime Ministers, from Sir Winston Churchill to Liz Truss, and transformed the British Empire into a Commonwealth of independent nations.

There have been many tributes from famous and political faces following the announcement.

According to Elton John, the Queen was “an inspiring presence” who would be missed dearly:

“Along with the rest of the nation, I am deeply saddened to hear the news of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth’s passing.

“She was an inspiring presence to be around, and lead the country through some of our greatest, and darkest, moments with grace, decency and a genuine caring warmth.

“Queen Elizabeth has been a huge part of my life from childhood to this day, and I will miss her dearly.”

Harry Potter author JK Rowling described the Queen as “a thread winding through all our lives” and said that she had “earned her rest” after being an “enduring, positive symbol of Britain around the world”.

Ozzy Osbourne described the Queen’s death as ‘devastating’.

As he shared a picture of the monarch on Twitter, Black Sabbath’s frontman wrote:

“I mourn with my country the passing of our greatest Queen. With a heavy heart I say it is devastating the thought of England without Queen Elizabeth II.”

Helen Mirren, who played the Queen on screen and stage, called her an “epitome of nobility”.

Taking to Instagram, the Oscar-winning British actress said: “I am proud to be an Elizabethan. We mourn a woman, who, with or without the crown, was the epitome of nobility.”

Stephen Fry, meanwhile, admitted to shedding tears upon hearing the news on Twitter:

“Oh dear. Oh my. Oh heavens. Bless my soul. Oh lor. Heck. I don’t know why I’m sobbing. Silly really. Oh dear.”

James Bond star Daniel Craig said:

“I, like so many, was deeply saddened by the news today and my thoughts are with the royal family, those she loved and all those who loved her. She leaves an incomparable legacy and will be profoundly missed.”

Scottish presenter Lorraine Kelly said that she was “incredibly honoured” to have met the monarch.

“So sad. What a life of service and duty. Incredibly honoured to have met her. Always been there my whole life. Thoughts with her family and everyone who loved her.”

The BBC Board paid tribute to the Queen saying she “was the absolute embodiment of public service”. A statement from the corporation’s director-general, Tim Davie, and BBC chairman Richard Sharp said:

“On behalf of everyone at the BBC we offer our deepest condolences to the Royal Family following the death of Her Majesty The Queen. Her Majesty was the absolute embodiment of public service. She was a unifying figure across generations, communities and borders, who represented the very best of our nation. We are grateful at the BBC to have witnessed, recorded and shared so many of the special moments in her long life and reign. She will always be remembered with the greatest affection and admiration.”

Prime Minister Liz Truss said in a statement outside No.10:

“”It’s an extraordinary achievement to have presided with such dignity and grace for 70 years. Her life of service stretched beyond most of our living memories. In return she was loved and admired by the people in the United Kingdom and all around the world. She has been a personal inspiration to me and to many Britons – her devotion to duty is an example to us all.”

Truss added: “And with the passing of the second Elizabethan age, we usher in a new era in the magnificent history of our great country, exactly as Her Majesty would have wished, by saying the words ‘God save the King’.”

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said:

“Today, we mourn the passing of a remarkable sovereign. It is a deep, private loss for the Royal Family and all our thoughts are with them at this time. The nation shares in their grief. We will always treasure Queen Elizabeth II’s life of service and devotion to our nation and the Commonwealth; our longest-serving and greatest monarch.

“Above the clashes of politics, she stood not for what the nation fought over, but what it agreed upon. As Britain changed rapidly around her, this dedication became the still point of our turning world.

“So as our great Elizabethan era comes to an end, we will honour the late Queen’s memory by keeping alive the values of public service she embodied.”

President Joe Biden said that the Queen’s legacy will “loom large in the pages of British history”. He and his wife Jill met the Queen in 2021 after he replaced Donald Trump at the White House.

“In a world of constant change, she was a steadying presence and a source of comfort and pride for generations of Britons, including many who have never known their country without her. “Her legacy will loom large in the pages of British history, and in the story of our world.”

The Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said:

“The nation and the world mourns today in recognition of the extraordinary service of our Queen – Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. She served for 70 years with unrivalled grace, dignity and purpose. Throughout a period of unprecedented transformation, she was a source of great stability, inspiring hope during the most testing of times and exemplifying the best of what it means to be British.

“I’m proud to have served as Mayor of London while Queen Elizabeth II was our monarch. I know Londoners, and people across the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth, are immensely proud and grateful for what she achieved for us all over so many years.

“I offer my condolences to the Royal Family at this difficult time.”

Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson said:

“This is our country’s saddest day. In the hearts of every one of us there is an ache at the passing of our Queen, a deep and personal sense of loss – far more intense, perhaps, than we expected.

“In these first grim moments since the news, I know that millions and millions of people have been pausing whatever they have been doing, to think about Queen Elizabeth, about the bright and shining light that has finally gone out.

“She seemed so timeless and so wonderful that I am afraid we had come to believe, like children, that she would just go on and on.

“Wave after wave of grief is rolling across the world, from Balmoral – where our thoughts are with all the royal family – and breaking far beyond this country and throughout that great Commonwealth of nations that she so cherished and which cherished her in return.”