Queen Elizabeth II died on Thursday at the age of 96. News has swept the globe, and many are wondering: now what?
A few things we know:
Who will rule?
The Queen’s successor, Prince Charles, takes over immediately. However, his coronation is likely to take place more than a year after the funeral. Anything sooner is considered bad taste. The Prince currently has a 42% approval rating with the British public.
When is the funeral?
Experts say that planning will take about 12 days to organise. This will be no standard funeral, but a state funeral: “an extremely rare honour only given to monarchs or when decreed by parliament. The last non-royal to receive this service was Winston Churchhill 57 years ago.
Stamps and money:
According to Dr. Ed Owens, the phasing out of the Queen’s face from currency and postal stamps will begin almost immediately – not only in the UK but also in other commonwealth countries.
‘God Save the Queen’?
The UK national anthem will immediately be changed to “God Save the King” from “God Save the Queen”.
Not business as usual:
The next 10 days will see Britain grind to a halt as various businesses close their doors to honour the Queen in a series of processions. UK television and radio schedules will be suspended and special programming arrangements will be put in place.
The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral on Thursday afternoon, 8 September 2022. The King and The Queen Consort will move to London today.
Queen Elizabeth is Britain’s longest-serving monarch, reigning for 70 years.
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