It's a day like no other here in the UK as Britons face life without the Queen on the throne for the first time in 70 years.
Friday is the first full day of mourning for Queen Elizabeth II, who died at age 96 after the longest reign in British history. King Charles III, as he is now known, led tributes, calling the death of his beloved mother "a moment of the greatest sadness for me and all members of my family."
In the hours that followed, condolences flooded in from around the globe, with presidents, prime ministers, religious leaders and more sharing their memories of the devoted British sovereign. US President Joe Biden called the Queen "a stateswoman of unmatched dignity and constancy," and in a heartwarming tribute Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau described her as "one of my favorite people in the world."
As news broke of the Queen's passing and Britons adjusted to the concept she was truly gone, royal fans flocked to Buckingham Palace and other royal residences to lay flowers, light candles and pay their respects. Despite the rain, the impulse to honor the Queen was shared by many and crowds continued to swell. |
Looking ahead to today, Charles is returning to London after spending Thursday evening at Balmoral. He will hold his first audience with Prime Minister Liz Truss and address the nation later.
It's a huge test for the new sovereign. The day after his mother died, he is making the biggest speech of his life. His address will need to bring the country together, something the Queen did extraordinarily well. She was a unifying figure who expressed continuity, and the nation turned to her in times of crisis. In this historic moment, once again we will look toward the monarch, and he now has to step up and empathize with the national mood while also mourning a very personal loss.
As if that weren't enough, he will have to balance reflecting on her legacy with outlining how he intends to reign as King and the future of the monarchy.
Meanwhile, there will be a series of tributes to the Queen from elsewhere today. British lawmakers are spending the day paying homage to the longest-serving monarch in Parliament, giving both senior and lower-profile MPs a chance to share their experiences of her and reflect on her reign. At midday local time (7 a.m. Eastern), church bells rang for a full hour across the UK. There were also gun salutes in royal parks and properties around the country, including London's Hyde Park and outside Buckingham Palace in Green Park, with 96 rounds fired -- one for every year of the Queen's life.
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Analysis by CNN's Stephen Collinson
"God save the King."
With four words, Liz Truss -- charged with the gravest of tasks as a British prime minister of only two days' standing -- marked the end of the second Elizabethan era. Her statement -- a coda to a short speech marking the passing of Queen Elizabeth II on Thursday -- was not jarring simply because only Britons well into their 70s remembered hearing the phrase in public before. It also bookended an epoch in which the Queen became a global icon of leadership even though, and perhaps because, she was not a politician. In many ways, her influence was rooted simply in the fact that, year after year, decade after decade, she was there -- always. And now she is gone. Read the full story.
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Big changes lie ahead for the royal family. |
The second Elizabethan age has come to an end and the royal family will now regroup around a new monarch for the next era in British history. Responsibilities, roles and titles are among some of the things that change as Charles takes the helm. Head here to get the breakdown. |
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The scene at Buckingham Palace hours after the Queen's death was announced. |
Taking a quick break from rolling coverage, Max left CNN's live position outside Buckingham Palace where throngs of well-wishers were congregating to pay their respects to the Queen. Take a look below: |
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Clothes that rallied a nation: the Queen's fashion legacy. |
One of the many legacies left by Queen Elizabeth II is an illustration of how clothes can rally a nation. Captured in motion by an army of lensmen and women throughout her 70-year reign, Britain's longest-serving monarch displayed an innate and finely tuned understanding of visual branding.
The value of fashion and image-making had previously been explored with positive results by Elizabeth's father, King George VI: In a mission to regain public trust after his brother, Edward VIII, abdicated to marry the twice-divorced American Wallis Simpson, he invited couturier Norman Hartnell to peruse the Buckingham Palace art collection for inspiration. While the sophisticated Simpson wore the latest fashions, the King commissioned gowns for his wife and daughters that underlined the traditions -- and, consequently, the stability -- of the Victorian era. Read more here.
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"I know her loss will be deeply felt throughout the country, the Realms and the Commonwealth, and by countless people around the world."
– King Charles III on the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II
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