The Queen of England (1926-2022), Elizabeth II, has died at the age of 96 at her Balmoral estate, according to the British Royal House confirmed in its official statement.
The concern for the state of health of Elizabeth II had grown in recent months. But it was early in the afternoon of September 8 when the alarms about the British monarch’s state of health resounded. A brief statement from the Royal House stated that they were concerned about the queen’s medical situation, and recommended that she remain under medical supervision.
Then, it was confirmed that his son Carlos, heir to the throne, and his wife Camila were on their way to the Balmoral estate. Also his grandson, Enrique de Sussex and Megan Meghan Markle, announced their immediate displacement from the United States. Institutions and politicians also announced their concern for the monarch. The British networks, with the BBC in the lead, moments after the statement were already wearing their presenters in mourning.
And it is that Elizabeth II’s health was something that had the United Kingdom on edge. With an increasingly reduced public agenda, the few appearances of the monarch denoted an increasingly deteriorating health. During the Platinum Jubilee, held in the spring of 2022, the queen herself dropped out of most of the events held in her name. Since then, much of the weekly meetings with the British Prime Minister have gone online. During the last weeks, directly canceled. She only received yesterday, at Balmoral, the new Prime Minister Liz Truss after her recent appointment. An act that, officially, should have been held at the Palace of buckingham.
Operation London Bridge
The passing of Elizabeth II features a historic code name for the UK’s top high-ranking officials. In this way, at the moment of the death of the monarch, she was activated the operation london-bridge. One that, like that of other representatives of the Crown, has been preparing for years.
The person in charge of announcing the queen’s death will be her personal secretary. The first to receive the news outside the family circle will be the Prime Minister. The secretary, Edward Young, will only have to say one sentence to Liz Truss: “London Bridge is down” (London Bridge has fallen). From that moment, all the events will happen.
The Foreign Minister will make the official statement to all friendly countries of the United Kingdom. At the same time, the Associated Press and the BBC will receive a statement through the Radio Alert system. Automatically, at least in the BBC group, all broadcasts will be paralyzed and connected to the main network. A sequence of images of Isabel II will precede the official announcement of the presenter. One who has been prepared and trained for years.
Afterwards, mourning will be declared for all the countries of the Commonwealth and, 9 days later, the state funeral of Queen II in Westminster Abbey to which all political authorities and Royal Houses will be invited.
Elizabeth II: a Queen and 15 Prime Ministers
She was a queen, almost eternal, who never should have been. After all, she was the firstborn of the brother of the heir to the throne. Her birth and early years of education went largely unnoticed. The controversial abdication of King Eduardo in his brother Alberto changed the future of Isabel. From that moment, she was the official heir to the throne of the United Kingdom. She was considered, in fact, an unprepared Queen in her early days compared to her predecessors. She but she also a very popular figure.
Having lived through World War II from his home in Balmoral and was part of the Transport Auxiliary Service. It was already in 1947 when she married Felipe de Mountbatten. She already with three children, on June 2, 1953 she was crowned Queen of England.
Compared to her predecessors in the Crown, Elizabeth II occupied a more symbolic than effective role in the United Kingdom. World War II had changed the national political rules. But it did play an essential role in maintaining the Commonwealth and its unification after decolonization began in 1960.
Known for her cold and distant character, Elizabeth II and her circle were not exempt from controversy. The separation of her son Andrés with his wife Sarah Ferguson and the separation of Prince Carlos with Lady Di – and subsequent death – opened a schism in the British royal house. Added to the tax scandals of the Royal Family, popularity has plummeted. It was then, and coinciding with the last stretch of her reign, when the rigidity of the family was softened and a moderate opening was attempted. Although not much.
At 96 years old, Elizabeth II has met a whopping 15 UK Prime Ministers. Beginning with Winston Churchill, passing through Margaret Thatcher and seeing the end of a Boris Johnson replaced by Liz Trass, Elizabeth II was living history of some of the biggest names in the United Kingdom and the world.
Remembered for being a lover of corgi dogs, horses, and hunting, Elizabeth II will go down in history – and in the world of cinema – as one of the longest-lived and most influential queens.