Developing story: Shock, surprise, grief grips the world as British monarch departs
Shock, grief, surprise can best deecribe reactions which greeted the news of the Queen’s death Thursday. as the English were thrown into mourning.
The Royal Family announced Thursday that Queen Elizabeth the Second, who sat on the British throne for 70 years had transited.
“The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon” a statement issued by the Royal Family revealed.
“The King and The Queen Consort will remain at Balmoral this evening (Thurday evening) and will return to London tomorrow (Friday)”, the statement added.
While at Bairmoral, Scotland, the Queen had been put under the supervision of her doctors as her situation worsened.
In London, the newly sworn in Prime Minister, 47-year-old Liz Truss said the British people were devastated by the news of her passage.
Standing in front of No 10 Downing Street, the new British Prime Minister ascribed the giant strides recorded by the British to the untiring efforts of Her Majesty, the Queen.
Truss said the Queen was the rock upon which a modern British nation has been built, describing her as someone who genuinely loved her people.
Only a few days ago, the new Prime Minister had met with the Queen. That was after she emerged as the leader of the Conservatives.
President Muhammadu Buhari I’m his reaction extolled the late Queen, saying Nigeria would not be what it is as nation without her and Britain.
Justin Tradeau of Canada recalled that Queen Elizabeth loved Canadians while President Emmanuel Macron described her as a friend of France.
Outside Buckingham Palace, huge crowds gathered as news that the Queen may be fighting for her life spread.
It was a rainy day, a day the rainbow hung across British skies.
Despite the rain, the British stood in their numbers, evidence of their love for the Queen and respect for the Royal institution that is the cornerstone of their society.
For 70 years, Elizabeth II sat on the throne, the third of three queens, who had affected the growth of what was lnown as the British empire.
Elizabeth the First and Queen Victoria who presided over a nation on which the sun would never set were leaders who oversaw the expansion of the British empire.
But it was under Queen Elizabeth II’s reign that the empire days was brought to a halt, paving the way for the emergence of a prosperous and stable power that remains relevant to this day.
Under her watch, Queen Elizabeth II saw the rise and fall of 15 British Prime Ministers and until death struck, was the longest serving monarch in the world.