The devastation that the death of a friend, or loved one causes is profound, and we are left with grief which is the price we pay for love, just like Queen Elizabeth the II once said.
Queen Elizabeth II who served as the constitutional monarch of the United Kingdom for 70 years, has died at her Balmoral estate in Scotland, at age 96, Buckingham Palace said Thursday.
She was the longest-ruling monarch in British history.
Her reign spanned a remarkable arc in British history and was defined by duty to country and considerable family pain. Her death is a major milestone for the country, triggering an outpouring of national affection and grief.
Her death is being mourned in Britain and across the world.
Through it all, though, the queen worked to honor a pledge she made when was just 21: “I declare before you that my whole life, whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service, and the service of our great imperial family to which we all belong.”
Through the ups and downs of her tenure, her hard work and longevity won her deep admiration across the United Kingdom.
Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor is also survived by her other children, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward, and their spouses. Prince William, next in line to the throne, and Prince Harry are among her eight grandchildren. She has a dozen great-grandchildren.
It’s “a really shocking and discombobulating moment for a lot of Brits,” NBC royal commentator Daisy McAndrew said before the queen’s death. “Everybody realizes that when she dies, it’s going to be a very big deal. But I don’t think that we really know the shockwaves that it’s going to send.”
“It’s going to make us, as a nation, look at ourselves and think: Everything’s changed,” she added.
With the queen’s death, the U.K. will now enter into mourning and at least 10 days of carefully choreographed pageantry that has been in the planning for years, codenamed “London Bridge” by Buckingham Palace, the government and law enforcement. The events will dominate radio and television broadcasts, newspaper front pages and conversations over water coolers and backyard fences for days.
Large crowds are expected to pay their respects as she lies in state in the Parliament. World leaders will begin arriving in the U.K. to pay their tributes before the queen’s state funeral at Westminster Abbey. She will be buried in Windsor Castle, the home of Britain’s kings and queens for more than 1,000 years.