On September 8, at the age of 96, Queen Elizabeth II passed away at Balmoral Castle in the U.K. According to the BBC, she died peacefully on Thursday afternoon, thus putting an abrupt end to her 70 year reign.
As expected, news of her departure has made waves all across the globe. Particularly, news outlets in the United States have reported on the incident heavily, and the US Open tennis tournament and the United Nations both held a moment of silence in order to honor her passing. Additionally, President Biden made a statement on the same day sending condolences to the royal family, who are “not only mourning their Queen, but their dear mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother.”
Being the monarch with the longest reign, it is no surprise that many across the world have come together in order to remember her legacy. Ascending the throne on June 2, 1953, Elizabeth’s coronation was the first to be broadcasted in nearly its entirety on television, and marked not just a shift in global interest towards the royal family but a change to how her nation was perceived as a whole. In her time as queen, both a Hollywood movie and Blockbuster series had been made about her life, and public perception of her remained high even as her health began to steadily decline over the years.
For those unable to attend services in person, there are other methods of pay respects to the now-deceased. The Royal Family’s official Twitter account shared an online book of condolences where people “can send a tribute” to Her Majesty, and many more Twitter users have shared their own condolences. Online reception to her death, however, has been widely mixed, including those sharing their criticisms in regards to Elizabeth’s reign and the Royal Family as a whole.
At the time of writing, the cause of her death has not yet been released to the public. Elizabeth’s son, Charles, has been chosen to ascend the throne as King Charles III, though the time of his coronation is presently unknown.
