The entirety of the UK was in suspense as the news trickled in that the queen’s health was deteriorating. Liz Truss, the new prime minister, who had just met the queen two days earlier and had been appointed to form a new government, was outlining her long-awaited plan for dealing with the soaring energy and cost of living crises when the session was briefly interrupted; notes were passed around, and murmurs could be heard throughout the House of Commons.
Members of the royal family were called to join the queen in Balmoral, Scotland, where she had been staying for the past few weeks. Late in the afternoon on Thursday, September 8, Buckingham Palace announced that the queen had died.
The passing of England’s longest-reigning monarch resulted in an international outpouring of sadness. In a rare moment that had all nations united, world leaders from Austria to China and from Israel to Ukraine sent their condolences to Prince Charles, the royal family and the British nation. Even Russian President Vladimir Putin made sure to send his sympathies. Moments of silence were held in the United Nations, the New York Stock Exchange and elsewhere.
Back in the UK, most digital boards removed all advertisements and featured only a large portrait of the queen. Planned postal and rail strikes were pushed off out of respect. Comedy shows and sports events were canceled. Thousands flocked to the various royal palaces throughout the UK to leave flowers and messages of condolence.
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