Cover image: Charles, then prince, towards St. Paul’s Cathedral in London during the Queen’s Jubilee, June 3, 2022. HENRY NICHOLLS / AFP
- On Friday September 9, the United Kingdom woke up for the first time in seventy years without its queen. Charles III, Prince of Wales and eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II, became the ruler of the United Kingdom and fourteen Commonwealth countries at the time of his mother’s death, Thursday, at the end of the day. In a first statement to the country, the new monarch said that this disappearance was “a moment of great sadness” for him and his family and that the loss of the queen would be “deeply felt” in the whole world.
- Queen Elizabeth II died Thursday at Balmoral. She was 96 years old. She had acceded to the throne in 1952, at the age of 25. Revered by the British people, head of the armies of the United Kingdom, supreme governor of the Anglican Church, interlocutor of fifteen British prime ministers, of all the heads of state of the Ve French Republic and thirteen American presidents, the Queen has gone through the ages.
- A ten-day national mourning begins from Friday, as part of an operation choreographed for years by Buckingham Palace, dubbed “Operation London Bridge”. Charles III is expected – with Queen Consort Camilla – in London, where he is to hold his first audience with the new head of government Liz Truss and deliver an address to the nation. The Accession Council, a ceremonial body officially proclaiming the new king, is due to meet on Saturday.
- Operation “unicorn” is also enabled. The body of Elizabeth II will first have to be transported to Edinburgh. The coffin will be transported by road to the Palace of Holyroodhouse, according to the correspondent of the Monde Cecile Ducourtieux. There will be a procession from Holyrood to St. Giles Cathedral, located in Old Edinburgh. After a ceremony reserved for the royal family, Saint-Gilles Cathedral will be open to the public for twenty-four hours. Then the coffin will go to London, where the funeral will take place on a date that is not yet known.
- Heads of state and personalities from around the world have hailed the oldest head of state in the world. Joe Biden paid tribute to Elizabeth II “a stateswoman of incomparable dignity and constancy”saying in a statement that the late queen was “more than a monarch. She embodied an era. The pope francis saluted ” his life of uninterrupted service for the good of the Nation and the Commonwealth, following his example of devotion to duty”. Emmanuel Macron for his part recalled that Elizabeth was “a friend of France, a queen of hearts who forever marked her country and her century”.
- Prince William is the new heir apparent, followed by her three children, in order of birth: George (born in 2013), Charlotte (born in 2015) and Louis (born in 2018). Next is Prince Harry and his two children, Archie and Lilibet.
Find our live from yesterday here.
Read all our articles, analyzes and reports on the death of Elizabeth II
Reportage. Queen Elizabeth II is dead, long live King Charles III: a look back at a special day in the UK
Editorial. Elizabeth II, a sovereign woman goes down in history
Decryptions. Death of Elizabeth II: only 27% of the British are in favor of the abolition of the monarchy
Analyse. For the Prince of Wales, who became Charles III, the challenge of succeeding without disappointing
Podcast. Elizabeth II: the power of a powerless queen
Arts. Elizabeth II, the queen of art collectors
of Elizabeth II: “I realize how important she was”, testify Londoners in shock
Queen Elizabeth II in the Arts: Seven Decades of Respect