It is with sadness that we mark the death of Queen Elizabeth II on Thursday 8th September. She was 96 years old and reigned for 70 years. She was highly respected around the world as we can see from the messages of condolence received from countries around the world.
It is notable that, whilst many elected Heads of State, as politicians, tend to divide the nations they represent, the Queen tended to unite the nations. The Royal family have been in public openly meeting the crowds who have come to lay flowers outside Windsor Castle, without barriers or security. The public are allowed close access without being searched, which is surely a sign of the respect in which the British public hold their monarch.
There will be a State Funeral on Monday 19th September, which will be a public holiday. There will also be considerable disruption to traffic in London on Wednesday 14th September, when the coffin of Her Majesty will be taken by horse drawn carriage from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall, where it will lie in State until the funeral. It is also expected that the rehearsal for the State funeral will take place on Thursday 15th September.
Parliament is closed until the day after the funeral, and flags will be flown at half-mast during this period. Otherwise, business continues as normal as possible.
In the space of a week we have a new Prime Minister, Liz Truss and a new monarch, King Charles III. We welcome them both.
