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Queen Elizabeth II, who has died age 96 after the longest reign in British history, will likely be mourned across the globe as one of many final monarchs born to a basic age of European royalty, when kings and queens wielded real political energy.
Elizabeth’s demise comes seven months after she marked the seventieth anniversary of her accession to the throne, yet one more milestone achievement within the outstanding lifetime of a queen who, although reluctantly thrust into the highlight at a younger age, received nearly common reward for her steadfast dedication to responsibility.
Her lengthy reign noticed Britain remodeled from a war-weary declining imperial energy into a contemporary multi-cultural state that hardly ever regarded to its monarch for management, however nonetheless held her in excessive esteem.
And whereas it witnessed its fair proportion of pleasure – not least the 2011 marriage of the Queen’s grandson Prince William to Catherine Middleton, and the beginning of their three youngsters – Elizabeth’s rule additionally weathered many storms, each public and private, because the monarchy tried to maintain tempo with altering instances.
Elizabeth Alexandra Mary was born in 1926, the primary little one of the Duke and Duchess of York.
But she didn’t turn out to be inheritor presumptive to the throne till 1937, when her father was topped King George VI after the scandalous abdication of his older brother – occasions dramatized within the Oscar-winning movie “The King’s Speech” and hit Netflix present “The Crown.”
As World War II erupted, Elizabeth was quietly groomed for statehood.
While dwelling out the Blitz on London in close by Windsor Castle, she was privately tutored in issues of structure by Henry Marten, an eccentric but revered instructor who seemingly saved a pet raven in his examine.
She started taking tentative steps into public life in 1940 when, aged 14, she made her first radio broadcast: a speech to youngsters displaced by the battle. At 16, she was made an honorary colonel of the Grenadier Guards, a British military infantry regiment.
Wartime provided her sure freedoms past the normal constraints of royal life.
In 1945 she joined the Auxiliary Territorial Service and spent 4 weeks getting her fingers coated in oil and grease as she discovered to drive and preserve army autos.
When victory was declared in Europe, a uniformed Elizabeth mingled with jubilant crowds outdoors Buckingham Palace.
Peacetime introduced the return of Lieutenant Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, a good-looking younger naval officer who had, by all accounts, received her coronary heart when she was simply 13. The pair married in Westminster Abbey in 1947. Their first son, Charles, was born simply over a 12 months later.
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Queen Elizabeth II was the longest-reigning monarch in British historical past.
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Elizabeth was born April 21, 1926, in London. She is held right here by her mom, additionally named Elizabeth. Her father would later turn out to be King George VI.
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Princess Elizabeth poses for a photograph at her London house in 1928.
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Princess Elizabeth is seen together with her uncle Edward, Prince of Wales, throughout a go to to Balmoral, Scotland, in September 1933. He would go on to turn out to be King Edward VIII in 1936. But when he abdicated later that 12 months, Elizabeth’s father turned King and he or she turned inheritor presumptive.
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From left, Princess Elizabeth, King George VI, Queen Elizabeth and Princess Margaret wave to the gang from the balcony of Buckingham Palace on June 22, 1939.
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Elizabeth rides a horse in Windsor, England, in 1940. Her love of horses has been effectively documented.
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A 14-year-old Elizabeth, proper, sits subsequent to her sister for a radio broadcast on October 13, 1940. On the printed, her first, she mentioned that England’s youngsters have been filled with cheerfulness and braveness.
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Princess Elizabeth shakes fingers with an officer of the Grenadier Guards on May 29, 1942. King George VI made Elizabeth an honorary colonel within the Royal Army regiment.
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Elizabeth, proper, and Princess Margaret put on summer time attire circa 1942. Margaret is Elizabeth’s solely sibling.
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With the Drakensberg Mountains behind her, Princess Elizabeth sits in South Africa’s Natal National Park on April 21, 1947. It was her twenty first birthday.
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On November 20, 1947, Elizabeth wed Prince Philip, a lieutenant within the British Navy who had been born into the royal households of Greece and Denmark. After turning into a British citizen and renouncing his Greek title, Philip turned His Royal Highness Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. His spouse turned the Duchess of Edinburgh.
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Princess Elizabeth arrives at a state banquet in London in March 1950.
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Elizabeth ascended to the throne in February 1952, when her father died of lung most cancers on the age of 56. Here, she walks to the altar throughout her coronation ceremony on June 2, 1953.
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Queen Elizabeth II is photographed on the balcony of Melbourne’s Government House throughout her tour of Australia in March 1954.
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From left, Princess Margaret, Queen Elizabeth II and the Queen Mother go to Epsom Downs Racecourse in June 1958.
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The Queen holds her son Prince Andrew whereas his sister, Princess Anne, watches throughout a household vacation at Scotland’s Balmoral Castle in September 1960. The Queen has 4 youngsters, together with sons Charles and Edward.
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Queen Elizabeth II is seen in the course of the state opening of Parliament in April 1966.
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Queen Elizabeth II together with her oldest son, Prince Charles, in 1969. Charles is subsequent in line for the throne.
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Prince Charles adjusts his coronet throughout his investiture ceremony as Prince of Wales in 1969.
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The Queen and Prince Philip wave from a aircraft ramp shortly earlier than taking off from Tokyo in May 1975.
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The Queen takes a portrait at Windsor Castle for her fiftieth birthday on April 21, 1976.
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The Queen meets the crowds throughout her royal tour of New Zealand in 1977.
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Elizabeth walks with a few of her corgis on the Windsor Horse Trials in May 1980.
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The Queen stands subsequent to Prince Charles as he kisses his new bride, Princess Diana, on July 29, 1981.
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Elizabeth takes photos of her husband throughout a horse present in Windsor in May 1982.
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Elizabeth drives her Land Rover in the course of the Royal Windsor Horse Show in May 1992.
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While at Buckingham Palace, the Queen and Prince Philip view the floral tributes to Princess Diana after her tragic demise in 1997.
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The Queen addresses the nation on the night time earlier than Princess Diana’s funeral in 1997.
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Prince Charles appears again at his mom after marriage ceremony Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, in April 2005.
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The Queen arrives at St Paul’s Cathedral for a Thanksgiving service in honor of her eightieth birthday in 2006.
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The Queen, second from proper, greets a crowd from the balcony of Buckingham Palace in April 2011. Her grandson Prince William, third from left, had simply married Catherine Middleton.
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The Queen’s signature is seen within the guests e book at Aras An Uachtarain, the Irish President’s official residence in Dublin in May 2011.
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Madame Tussauds London reveals a wax determine of the Queen in May 2012.
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Prince Charles kisses his mom’s hand on stage as singer Paul McCartney, far proper, appears on on the Diamond Jubilee live performance in June 2012. The Diamond Jubilee celebrations marked Elizabeth’s sixtieth anniversary as Queen.
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The Queen excursions the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London in December 2012.
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A boy in Belfast, Northern Ireland, takes a selfie in entrance of the Queen in June 2014.
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The Queen enters the Great Hall at Edinburgh Castle after attending a commemorative service for the Scottish National War Memorial in July 2014.
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The Queen waits to offer her speech in the course of the state opening of Parliament in May 2015.
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Elizabeth listens to her great-grandson, Prince George, outdoors a church the place George’s sister, Charlotte, was being christened in July 2015. George and Charlotte are the kids of Prince William, left, and Duchess Catherine.
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The Queen is seated at her desk in her non-public viewers room at Buckingham Palace in July 2015. She is seen with one in all her official crimson containers, which comprises vital papers from authorities ministers within the United Kingdom and from representatives throughout the Commonwealth and past. The photograph was taken to mark the second the Queen turned the longest-reigning British monarch.
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The Queen takes a photograph with 5 of her great-grandchildren and her two youngest grandchildren in April 2016.
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The Queen poses with 4 of her canines on the non-public grounds of Windsor Castle in April 2016.
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The Queen and Prince Philip wave to visitors in London who have been attending celebrations for her ninetieth birthday in 2016.
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Elizabeth speaks to Evie Mills, 14, at a hospital in Manchester, England, in May 2017. Evie was injured in a bombing that occurred as individuals left an Ariana Grande live performance.
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The Queen sits at a desk in Buckingham Palace after recording her Christmas Day broadcast in 2017.
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The Queen arrives for the marriage of her grandson Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in May 2018.
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The Queen laughs with Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, throughout a bridge-opening ceremony in Halton, England, in June 2018. It was Meghan’s first royal outing with out her husband, Prince Harry, by her facet.
Trump’s go to to Windsor Castle in July 2018.” class=”gallery-image__dam-img” top=”2095″/>Photos: The lifetime of Queen Elizabeth II
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her new great-grandchild, Archie, in May 2019. Archie is the primary little one of Prince Harry, second from left, and his spouse Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex. Prince Philip is on the far left. Meghan’s mom, Doria Ragland, is subsequent to her at proper.” class=”gallery-image__dam-img” top=”3000″/>Photos: The lifetime of Queen Elizabeth II
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received the UK’s Conservative Party management contest and changed Theresa May, who was compelled into resigning after members of her Cabinet misplaced confidence in her lack of ability to safe the UK’s departure from the European Union.” class=”gallery-image__dam-img” top=”2002″/>Photos: The lifetime of Queen Elizabeth II
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particular handle to the nation in April 2020.” class=”gallery-image__dam-img” top=”1996″/>Photos: The lifetime of Queen Elizabeth II
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rides a horse in Windsor, England, in May 2020. It was her first public look because the coronavirus lockdown started within the United Kingdom.” class=”gallery-image__dam-img” top=”1149″/>Photos: The lifetime of Queen Elizabeth II
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Prince Philip pose for a photograph in June 2020, forward of Philip’s 99th birthday.” class=”gallery-image__dam-img” top=”3610″/>Photos: The lifetime of Queen Elizabeth II
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The Queen and Prince Philip take a look at a selfmade anniversary card that was given to them by their great-grandchildren Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis in November 2020.
Prince Philip’s funeral in April 2021. The ceremony was restricted to 30 individuals, according to England’s coronavirus restrictions.” class=”gallery-image__dam-img” top=”1009″/>Photos: The lifetime of Queen Elizabeth II
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her first main engagement since her husband’s demise.” class=”gallery-image__dam-img” top=”1704″/>Photos: The lifetime of Queen Elizabeth II
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The Queen receives a Duke of Edinburgh rose from Keith Weed, president of the Royal Horticultural Society, in June 2021. The newly bred rose was formally named in honor of Prince Philip.
meets with US President Joe Biden and first girl Jill Biden within the Grand Corridor of Windsor Castle in June 2021.” class=”gallery-image__dam-img” top=”2847″/>Photos: The lifetime of Queen Elizabeth II
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The Queen drives her Range Rover as she attends the Royal Windsor Horse Show in Windsor, England, in July 2021.
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The Queen attends the Royal Windsor Cup polo match and a carriage-driving show by the British Driving Society in July 2021.
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The Queen and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, left, greet visitors throughout a Windsor Castle reception for worldwide enterprise and funding leaders in October 2021.
Platinum Jubilee in February 2022. It has been 70 years since the Queen took the throne in 1952.” class=”gallery-image__dam-img” top=”1333″/>Photos: The lifetime of Queen Elizabeth II
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examined constructive for Covid-19.” class=”gallery-image__dam-img” top=”2003″/>Photos: The lifetime of Queen Elizabeth II
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the opening ceremony of the long-awaited Elizabeth line on the Paddington station in west London in May 2022. She had just lately been affected by mobility points, canceling a number of appearances.” class=”gallery-image__dam-img” top=”1643″/>Photos: The lifetime of Queen Elizabeth II
Platinum Jubilee celebrations in June 2022. She is the primary British sovereign to have fun a Platinum Jubilee — 70 years on the throne. “I have been humbled and deeply touched that so many people have taken to the streets to celebrate my Platinum Jubilee,” the Queen mentioned in a launched assertion. “While I may not have attended every event in person, my heart has been with you all; and I remain committed to serving you to the best of my ability, supported by my family.”” class=”gallery-image__dam-img” top=”1664″/>Photos: The lifetime of Queen Elizabeth II
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Liz Truss at Balmoral Castle in Scotland, formally inviting her to be the brand new prime minister in September 2022. The assembly would historically have taken place at London’s Buckingham Palace, however the monarch has considerably diminished her duties and journey in current months due to her mobility points.” class=”gallery-image__dam-img” top=”1333″/>Photos: The lifetime of Queen Elizabeth II
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With her father’s well being in speedy decline, Elizabeth started accepting extra official duties, taking his place on the annual “Trooping the Colour” army parade in 1949.
In 1952, whereas Elizabeth and Philip have been on an official journey to Kenya, information got here of her father’s demise.
She was now Queen.
The subsequent decade noticed the younger monarch settle into her function. After her coronation in 1953, she launched into quite a few official abroad journeys, oversaw state openings of parliament, welcomed visiting leaders akin to Dwight Eisenhower, Charles de Gaulle and Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev, and toured a coal mine.
These worldwide forays got here even because the disintegration of Britain’s empire hastened. India had gained independence from its colonial energy in 1947, earlier than Elizabeth turned Queen. Dozens extra have been to comply with go well with over the next a long time, throughout Africa, Asia and the Caribbean. By the time of her demise, Elizabeth was head of state in 14 international locations moreover the UK.
The Queen in the meantime embraced her function as Head of the Commonwealth, visiting nearly all of its member states – beginning with a prolonged Commonwealth tour in 1953 and 1954.
In 1964, the Queen turned a mom for the fourth time as new son Edward joined Charles and fellow siblings Anne and Andrew. There was, nonetheless, barely any let-up in her busy schedule.
By the arrival of her third decade on the throne, she was in her component. Prince Charles was embarking on a army profession, Princess Anne, an acclaimed horsewoman, was married – drawing large crowds of well-wishers.
While indulging in her personal equestrian pursuits, she continued to throw herself into public life, clocking up dozens of abroad excursions and official visits across the UK – one in all which, in 1976, noticed her turn out to be one of many first individuals to ship an e mail.
There have been household issues when her sister’s marriage collapsed, and constitutional points as debate grew amongst Commonwealth international locations concerning the function of the monarch, however these did not dampen celebrations to mark the silver jubilee of her reign in 1977.
Another royal marriage ceremony adopted in 1981 when Prince Charles married Lady Diana Spencer at London’s St Paul’s Cathedral. Millions of individuals world wide watched the ceremony on tv, fortunately unaware it could usher in probably the most turbulent interval but of the Queen’s life.
The Queen’s fortieth 12 months on the throne, 1992, marked her lowest second as three royal marriages fell aside. Princess Anne and Mark Philips divorced, Charles and Diana separated after claims of infidelities whereas Sarah Ferguson, Prince Andrew’s spouse, was photographed topless with an American monetary supervisor.
To cap all of it, an enormous fireplace ripped by means of Windsor Castle, inflicting main structural injury. In the wake of the blaze, a furor broke out when it was recommended that public cash be used to fund the restoration.
This 12 months was not one “on which I shall look back with undiluted pleasure,” the Queen mentioned in a speech later. “In the words of one of my more sympathetic correspondents, it has turned out to be an annus horribilis.”
These issues overshadowed the Queen as she made an historic go to to fulfill South African President Nelson Mandela in 1995, however criticism reached new heights within the wake of Diana’s tragic demise in 1997, when the royals have been accused of being aloof and out of contact amid widespread public outpourings of grief.
This marked a turning level.
After days of silence, the Queen returned to London, talked to mourners and admitted there have been classes to be discovered from Diana’s life. The gestures struck a chord with the general public and criticism ebbed away.
After Diana, the Queen’s reputation rebounded as she presided over what seemed to be a softer, extra accessible and completely fashionable royal household.
This was evident in 2005 when, to public approval, she assented to the beforehand unthinkable marriage of Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles. It was capped eight years later when Britain’s parliament ended the precept of males taking priority over ladies within the line of succession to the throne.
She witnessed two of her grandsons, Princes William and Harry, graduate as army officers in 2006 and 5 years later oversaw the wedding of William and Catherine, the lady who – because the spouse of the now inheritor to the throne – will sooner or later succeed her as Britain’s Queen. She additionally attended the marriage of Harry to Meghan Markle at St George’s Chapel, Windsor in May 2018.
In 2012, the Queen’s diamond jubilee was celebrated across the Commonwealth, culminating in a glittering river pageant on the Thames in London, and a live performance showcasing a number of the greatest music from her six a long time on the throne.
Three years later, she surpassed Queen Victoria’s 63-year-rule to turn out to be the longest-reigning British monarch and, in 2016, she marked her ninetieth birthday with a sequence of festivities and goodwill messages from world wide.
In February 2022, she marked the beginning of her platinum jubilee 12 months, as she turned the primary British monarch to reign for 70 years.
The Queen’s ultimate years have been punctuated by challenges in addition to celebrations, nonetheless.
As the novel coronavirus swept by means of Britain in 2020, she gave two televised addresses in fast succession, one calling for unity within the face of the pandemic and the opposite, nonetheless amid a nationwide lockdown, to mark the seventy fifth anniversary of VE Day.
But whereas rallying the nation’s spirits, the Queen was going through upheaval inside her circle of relatives. Less than two years after their spectacular Windsor Castle marriage ceremony, Harry and Meghan introduced that they have been stepping again from their roles as senior royals and leaving Britain.
They subsequently arrange house with son Archie in California and, in a March 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey, accused “the firm” of leaving Meghan unprotected towards racist abuse and unfair media protection, in addition to having uncared for her psychological well being issues. The couple – whose daughter Lilibet, named in honor of the Queen, was born in June 2021 – additionally made a harmful allegation of racism by an unnamed member of the royal household, though Winfrey later mentioned they’d clarified that this was neither the Queen nor Prince Philip.
Meanwhile, Prince Andrew, also known as the Queen’s “favorite son,” had been compelled to step again from public duties after a disastrous 2019 interview with the BBC over his affiliation with outstanding intercourse offender and disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein. In January 2022, the Queen sought to distance the royal establishment from a civil intercourse abuse lawsuit introduced towards Andrew within the United States by stripping him of his HRH standing and royal patronages completely. He subsequently settled the case out of courtroom for an undisclosed determine and continues to reject the allegations towards him.
In April 2021, the Queen suffered the loss of Prince Philip, her husband of 73 years and the longest-serving consort in British historical past. Pandemic restrictions meant she cut a lonely figure at his funeral, scaled again by way of visitors however nonetheless marked with army pomp.
Elizabeth returned to her royal duties inside days, now a widow however nonetheless devoted to a lifetime of service. She even continued with gentle duties after testing constructive for Covid-19 in February 2022.
But because the 12 months wore on, the monarch was compelled to considerably slim down her diary as a result of mobility points. On Tuesday, she met with outgoing Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his successor, Liz Truss, at Balmoral Castle in Scotland, moderately than touring to Buckingham Palace to take action.
The nation had come collectively to mark her platinum jubilee in June 2022 – a crowning achievement in an extended and storied life.
By the time of her demise in September, she had reigned for a little bit over 70 years – a continuing, if regally distant, presence within the lives of a number of generations of Britons.
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