Dismay over the death of Elizabeth II, the longest-living queen

• United Kingdom Queen Elizabeth II of England dies at the age of 96

• Live Queen Elizabeth II of England dies, last minute live

The Queen is dead.

The news that the British never thought they heard came in the most unexpected way, from the Scottish castle of Balmoral and two days after Elizabeth II extended her hand to welcome Liz Truss, number 15 on her long list of

to Throughout his 70-year reign and in his 96-year life he seemed eternal.

Isabel II died surrounded by her closest family, willing to pass the baton to her eldest son, who

.

The entire country was thrown into a state of collective dismay when the news everyone feared was confirmed in a mid-afternoon statement by Buckingham Palace in a statement that the Queen had passed away "peacefully" at her summer residence.

The alert jumped at noon with another brief royal statement warning that the monarch

and without specifying what illness or disease it was.

Parliament interrupted the debate on the energy crisis when hearing the news, the BBC suspended its regular programming to broadcast minute by minute on his health, the British held their breath and went in procession to Buckingham Palace fearing the worst.

Elizabeth II dies

United Kingdom.

Elizabeth II, the greatest queen in history

• Writing: EDUARDO ALVAREZ

Elizabeth II, the greatest queen in history

United Kingdom.

Elizabeth II, the most queen of the world

• Writing: JAIME PEÑAFIEL

Elizabeth II, the most queen of the world

The haste with which her children Carlos, Andrés, Ana and Eduardo went to her bed at Balmoral raised fears about the seriousness of the situation.

Prince

joined the family procession and

traveled from Germany, where he was attending the Invictus Games, while also adjourning an official event with Meghan in London.

The tense wait continued throughout the afternoon, amid rumors that the Queen had already passed away and that Buckingham Palace was delaying the announcement.

The arrival of a fugunota from a florist at the gates of Balmoral, an hour from Aberdeen, contributed to trigger speculation.

When the moment of confirmation arrived, at around 6:30 p.m. local time

, followed by insistent honks in tribute to the Queen in some main roads.

After two hours, King Charles made his first statement public: "The death of my dear mother, Her Majesty the Queen, is the greatest sadness for me and for the members of my family.

."

At the gates of Downing Street, just 48 hours after her arrival and on an equally rainy day,

Liz Truss addressed the British: "The world is in a state of "shock" (...) The Queen

, which is a great country thanks to it".

"Today the Crown passes, as it has done for over a thousand years, to our new monarch and head of state, King Charles III," added Truss.

"With the family of the King we join in mourning for his mother. We offer him our loyalty and our devotion, in the same way that he offered us his. Elizabeth II leaves a great legacy and hers will be known as the second era Elizabethan. God save the King!"

Former Prime Minister

dedicated one of the most heartfelt farewells to her: "She seemed so eternal and wonderful that I'm afraid I came to believe, like children, that she would go on and on."

From the United States, former President Obama also paid her an emotional tribute: "In a world in constant change,

."

The Queen has always had a presence of strength and stability and is an inseparable part of my life," said former Labor Prime Minister

. "There could not be a more worthy example of public service and we all feel sincere gratitude for her devotion." David Cameron

also highlighted her role as "a source of stability and security in a changing world."

Elizabeth II was effectively a guarantee of resilience during her 70 years on the throne, since she inherited the crown from her father George VI in the middle of the post-war period, going through the decline of the British Empire, the conflict in Northern Ireland, the economic crisis of the the seventies, the death of Lady Di, Brexit, the pandemic and the successive crises in the royal family: from

to Prince Andrew's millionaire agreement to avoid trial for child abuse.

The longest-serving Queen in the United Kingdom promised to continue in her post

, and that was what she did until the last moment, reluctant to abdicate on her son, although she had no problem delegating to him what she wanted. it was already known as the "co-monarchy".

The day before his death, in fact, he suspended the virtual meeting with his "private council" due to signs of his fragile health, but few foreshadowed that his announcement was actually the preamble to his farewell.

His death occurs just three months after the national celebration of the Platinum Jubilee, with his double appearance on the Buckingham balcony that momentarily restored the illusion to the British, in the midst of the endless political crisis.

Although she tried hard to hide it, the death of her husband

in April 2021 had a profound impact on her.

Despite continuing her intense activity for months, the Queen spent a night in the hospital in 2021 with symptoms of exhaustion and her health has not been the same since then.

She suspended her public appearances for months and in February 2022 she contracted Covid and began to have

, systematically leaning on a cane.

She recovered just enough for the Platinum Jubilee splendor, with her double appearance on the balcony of Buckingham Palace, although her official residence had already been moved to Windsor Castle.

His son Carlos, 73, took his place for the first time in May 2022 at the opening of parliamentary sessions and assumed more and more functions.

Accompanied by

, already recognized at that time as the future Queen consort, Carlos dedicated his very personal tribute to her during the Jubilee: "Your Majesty, Mommy... We miss your strength and your sense of permanence, but your spirit is with us." U.S".

Carlos III will dispatch the same Friday as the new King

with the new Prime Minister, Liz Truss, three days after his premiere in Downing Street.

The Queen's coffin will remain at Balmoral until Saturday and will be transferred that day to Holyrood Palace in Edinburgh.

Britons will be able to pay their respects to her throughout Sunday at St Giles' Cathedral on the Royal Mile, before she is transferred to London on a special train.

The funeral will be held

in Westminster Abbey, followed by a procession to Windsor Castle, where she will be buried in the crypt of St. George's Chapel alongside her husband Philip of Edinburgh, who died in April 2021.

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