08 September 2022 (Media Reports)

World's longest ruling monarch, Queen Elizabeth 11 of United Kingdom has died on Thursday at the Balmoral Castle, Scotland.

An announcement pasted on the gates of Buckingham Palace, London said.

Prime Minister Liz Truss paid her tributes to the late Queen and welcomed King Charles 111 as the new monarch, the eldest son of Queen Elizabeth 11. His wife Camillla becomes the queen consort. '

Liz Truss in her statement on the occasion said that 'Today the crown passes as it has done for more than 1,000 years to our new monarch, our new head of state, His Majesty King Charles III'. We must come together as a people to support him, to help him bear the awesome responsibility that he now carries for us all', she added.

Late 96 years old Queen Elizabeth 11 has enjoyed world-wide respect for her dignity, grace and dedication. She marked her Platinum Jubilee on February 6, 2022 completing 70 years of her reign - UK has been led by 14 prime ministers during her reign.

UK monarch remains neutral in politics and does not vote in elections as per the convention.

A Timeline

April 21, 1926 – Elizabeth was born at 17 Bruton St, London, and christened on May 29 that year in the private chapel at Buckingham Palace.

December 11, 1936 – She became heir apparent, aged 10, when her uncle Edward VIII abdicated and her father George VI became king.

November 20, 1947 – She married Naval Lt. Philip Mountbatten, a Greek Prince, at London’s Westminster Abbey. They had four children: Prince Charles (born in 1948), Princess Anne,(1950), Prince Andrew (1960) and Prince Edward (1964).

February 1952 – Princess Elizabeth and her husband Prince Philip, set out on a tour of Africa and Asia in place of her ailing father, King George VI. News of the king’s death reaches her in Kenya on February 6, meaning she is the first sovereign in more than 200 years to accede to the throne while abroad.

June 2, 1953 – Queen Elizabeth is crowned at Westminster Abbey in the first televised coronation service.

November 24, 1953 – The queen’s first Commonwealth tour begins covering a distance of 43,618 miles (70,196km).

1977 – The queen marks her Silver Jubilee – 25 years as monarch – with a tour of Commonwealth countries and lavish celebrations in the UK.

1981 – Prince Charles marries Lady Diana Spencer in a glittering ceremony.

1982 – Charles and Diana’s first child, Prince William, is born on June 21. Prince Harry is born two years later.

1991 – The queen tours the United States and becomes the first monarch to address the US Congress.

Nov. 1992  – Windsor Castle is badly damaged by fire. The queen agrees to pay income tax.

Dec. 1992 – Charles and Diana announce their separation.

March 1995 –  The queen makes the first address by a British monarch to a South African parliament since 1947.

Aug. 1996 – Charles and Diana are divorced.

31st Aug. 1997 – On August 31, Diana and her millionaire companion Dodi al-Fayed are killed when their car crashes

09 Feb 2002 – The queen’s sister, Princess Margaret, dies at the age of 71 after a life of glamour and heartbreak.

30 March 2002 – Queen Elizabeth, the queen mother, dies at Windsor Castle aged 101.

1-4 June – Four days of nationwide celebrations mark the queen’s Golden Jubilee.

2005 – Son and heir Prince Charles marries Camilla Parker Bowles at a civil ceremony in Windsor.

29 April 2011 – The queen attends the wedding of her grandson Prince William and Kate Middleton, estimated to have been watched by about two billion people worldwide.

May 2011 – Queen makes four-day state visit to Ireland, the first by a British monarch since Ireland won its independence from London in 1921.

2012 – The diamond jubilee to mark her 60th year on the throne sees four days of celebrations in June along with a nationwide tour. A million people gather for a pageant on River Thames, and millions more attend street parties.

23-26 June 2014 – The queen embarks on what was her last foreign state visit to Germany.

9th Sept 2014 – Elizabeth becomes the nation’s longest-reigning monarch, overtaking her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria.

21 April 2016 – Elizabeth celebrates her 90th birthday, the first British monarch to reach the milestone.

02 Aug. 2017 – Husband Philip bows out of public life after 65 years of supporting his wife.

20 Nov. 2017 – Elizabeth and Philip celebrate their 70th wedding anniversary with a private party at Windsor Castle.

Oct. 2019 – A family dispute between William and Harry becomes public, with the younger prince confirming the rumours of a rift.

15 Nov. 2019 – Prince Andrew gives a disastrous interview to BBC TV in an attempt to draw a line under a sex scandal. Days later, he is forced to step down from royal duties over his links to the disgraced US financier Jeffrey Epstein, who was jailed in 2008 for child sex offences.

Jan. 2020 – Harry and Meghan announce they will no longer be working members of the royal family. They move to Los Angeles in March.

5 Apr. 2020 – The queen makes only the fifth special televised broadcast of her reign to rally the nation amid the COVID-19 outbreak.

9 Apr, 2021 – Prince Philip, the queen’s husband of 73 years, dies peacefully aged 99 at Windsor Castle.

20 Oct. 2021 – The queen spends a night in hospital for the first time in years for what Buckingham Palace termed “preliminary investigations”.

30 Nov. 2021 – Barbados becomes a republic, meaning the queen is now the head of state of just 15 realms.

13 Jan. 2022 – Buckingham Palace says Prince Andrew has been stripped of his military links and royal patronages and will no longer be known as “His Royal Highness” as he defends a US lawsuit brought by Virginia Giuffre who said the royal sexually abused her when she was a teenager.

6 Feb. 2022 -The queen marks her 70th year on the throne, using the occasion to give her blessing to Charles’s second wife Camilla being called “queen consort” when he becomes king.

15 Feb. 2022 – Prince Andrew pays an undisclosed sum to settle the US lawsuit, but admits no wrongdoing.

20 Feb. 2022 – The queen tests positive for COVID-19 and is said to be suffering from mild cold-like symptoms. She soon returns to official duties.

6 Sep. 2022 – The monarch formally appoints Liz Truss as the UK’s prime minister, asking her to form a new government.

8 Sept. 2022 – The queen dies at the age of 96. She died peacefully at Balmoral Castle in Scotland, Buckingham Palace announces.