PHOTO BY JONATHAN BRADY/AP
STORY BY BELLA GARCIA
In Scotland, less than twenty-four hours after Buckingham Palace announced she was being put under medical supervision, Queen Elizabeth II was pronounced dead on Sept. 8, 2022.
After her father’s death and at the juvenile age of twenty-five, Queen Elizabeth took reign over the UK and several other Commonwealth countries. Now, at the late age of ninety-six, the Queen stood as both the longest-lived and longest-serving monarch in British history.
A statement released by Buckingham Palace from Charles III, now His Majesty The King, describes his mother’s death as “…a moment of the greatest sadness for me and all members of my family.”
He continues, “…my family and I will be comforted and sustained by our knowledge of the respect and deep affection to which The Queen was so widely spread.”
The news of this devastating passing reached all corners of the world in no time. Even those of us who have little to no connection to the news of the late Queen Elizabeth II couldn’t suppress a reaction.
“Although I am not from England, I am still saddened to hear about her passing. My mom used to tell me great things about her and her seventy years of being queen. My heart goes out to the royal family,” said JoAnna Stroud, sophomore at Cypress College.
Buzz about The Queen’s death circulated in Mallory Sidoti’s morning English class.
“A few people were on their phones and I heard a mention of the Queen dying. Ten minutes later I look at my phone to see a notification from the LA Times,” said Sidoti. “It was true, which is unfortunate, and inevitably will bring about change.”
The queen’s unparalleled reign which has been withheld for seventy years, has now come to an end, so what comes next for the United Kingdom?
Set into place now is “Operation London Bridge” which is comprised of the protocols the British government will follow the first ten days following the queen’s passing. The protocols are to be carried out from day one which included announcing her death to day ten when the queen will be buried in the castle’s King George VI Memorial Chapel.
The news of the queen’s death has brought about mixed reactions from the Commonwealth countries she reigned over.
“I’m seeing a lot of people post about them not being fond of her or her reign,” Hal Saga says. “There are people under her rule who say how her colonial role was destructive and harmful while there are those who grew up with her and are absolutely devastated.”
Though the news is shocking, it is not entirely surprising. The Queen had a reign of seventy-plus years where she brought stability to the ever-transforming Great Britain. It was just in February of this year that COVID-19 left the queen exhausted after she tested positive despite being fully vaccinated.
Hal says, “The death comes as a big shock considering how we received the news, but not the news itself. When her father George IV died, the news likely came out a day later but for us, it was immediately so people paused.”
As he mourns her death, Charles III has been mounted atop Britain’s throne. Called into question now, is what can the world expect of the new monarch King Charles III?
Death is nothing short of crushing and during this grieving time of change, condolences from around the world are offered to the Royal Family at this difficult time.
