Queen Elizabeth II 1926 - 2022

[Sid]

Sadly, I think we will need a thread for her here on SL for now and the near future.

Queen under medical supervision at Balmoral

Prince Charles is there with his son Prince William and other senior royals.

www.bbc.com

That a lot of the relatives are on their way to Balmoral Castle in the Scottish Highlands, where the queen stays at the moment, isn't a good sign IMHO.
I hope I'm wrong, but I'm afraid that London Bridge might be down soon.
The link to this 2017 article is not for nothing on the homepage of The Guardian again I guess.

'London Bridge is down': the secret plan for the days after the Queen’s death

The long read: She is venerated around the world. She has outlasted 12 US presidents. She stands for stability and order. But her kingdom is in turmoil, and her subjects are in denial that her reign will ever end. That’s why the palace has a plan.

www.theguardian.com

 

[Innula Zenovka]

I fear this article, from 2017, may soon become very relevant

'London Bridge is down': the secret plan for the days after the Queen’s death

The long read: She is venerated around the world. She has outlasted 12 US presidents. She stands for stability and order. But her kingdom is in turmoil, and her subjects are in denial that her reign will ever end. That’s why the palace has a plan.

www.theguardian.com

 

[Isabeau]

She has seemed ill and out of public eye lately, so I fear this may be her lat days. All the family is gathering, including her grandsons.

Strange that the article you and Innula posted compare US présidents (instead of british PMs). Maybe is was aimed at american readers?

 

[Sid]

I've never seen BBC news filling ungoing live coverage, with virtually no other news than the doctors report and the fact that the family is heading to Scotland.

 

[Sid]

She has seemed ill and out of public eye lately, so I fear this may be her lat days. All the family is gathering, including her grandsons.

Strange that the article you and Innula posted compare US présidents (instead of british PMs). Maybe is was aimed at american readers?

The Queen is a head of state. PM's ain't.
So her reign is compared with other head of states I guess.

 

[Innula Zenovka]

She has seemed ill and out of public eye lately, so I fear this may be her lat days. All the family is gathering, including her grandsons.

Strange that the article you and Innula posted compare US présidents (instead of british PMs). Maybe is was aimed at american readers?

In the US, the President is both Head of State and Head of Government.

In the UK, as in other parliamentary democracies, whether they're monarchies or republics, the two roles are separate -- the monarch/president is the ceremonial and non-political head of state, while the Prime Minister/Chancellor/Taoiseach/whatever is the Head of Government.

US Presidents get all the ceremonial treatment in their capacity of Head of State, not Head of Government, so that's the point of the comparison.

 

[Grandma Bates]

This may seem crass, but it is a serious practical consideration. There has not been a change in the UK head of state since 1953, and people who live in countries still using the imperial measuring system are going to have to get used to some changes. I cannot find it in wikipedia, and I am not sure when they will perform the official measurement of Prince Charles' feet, weight, and arm span to determine the new measurements for the foot, fathom, mile, and pound. This will have a huge impact in the US as every American football field will have to be remeasured. Hopefully they will get the measurements soon to ease the transition.

Edit to add: I forgot the sarcasm tag but always grateful for a good mansplaining.... Regardless of my feelings for the imperial state she is a symbol of, I hope the Queen can find some measure of comfort in these days and the compassion being expressed for her can also be extended to all of her subjects facing difficult circumstances.

 

[Bartholomew Gallacher]

And then there's France, where the president is head of state but not head of government, but still wields significantly more power than just a ceremonial monarch like in the UK.

 

[Bartholomew Gallacher]

This may seem crass, but it is a serious practical consideration. There has not been a change in the UK head of state since 1953, and people who live in countries still using the imperial measuring system are going to have to get used to some changes. I cannot find it in wikipedia, and I am not sure when they will perform the official measurement of Prince Charles' feet, weight, and arm span to determine the new measurements for the foot, fathom, mile, and pound. This will have a huge impact in the US as every American football field will have to be remeasured. Hopefully they will get the measurements soon to ease the transition.

Not happening, since imperial units in the states are actually based on metric ones. As of the 1st of July 1959 1 yard = 0.9144 meters by law, and all other units are derived from that. The death of the Queen will not change this.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_customary_units

 

[Jopsy Pendragon]

It always surprises me how so many things don't phase me, but hearing the queen is in ill health... does, very much. And as a descendant of immigrants from Northern Ireland... I'm really kind of confused by it.

 

[Isabeau]

I’m from Canada. I know what a head of state is. I simply thought it strange that they needed to make comparisons about anything with the US in the first lines. Anyway, not really important.

I think they are saying there will be a formal announcement at 6pm when Meghan and Harry are scheduled to arrive.

For most everyone here (VV1) she has always been the Queen. Don’t know if I’ll be sad, she’s lived a very long life, but she will certainly leave a void.

 

[Maitimo]

It's not looking good. The whole family rushing to Balmoral... if it was just one or two, I'd say, well maybe the Queen is feeling a bit down and wants company. When it's the whole family, you just know they're going there to say goodbye.

This all reminds me of rushing down the country to visit my grandmother before she passed away. Unfortunately she wasn't able to wait for us.

 

[Soen Eber]

The Queen may be the last bastian of an older and more gracious era, the world we were born into. And this is why she will leave a queen-sized hole in all or most of us. Whatever you may think of the institution, she has carried on well.

 

[Free]

And this is why she will leave a queen-sized hole in all or most of us.

Are we using bed sizes for media measurements again?

 

[Maitimo]

And it's just been announced a minute or two ago.

Queen Elizabeth II has died

Her son King Charles III pays tribute to his "beloved mother" who has died peacefully at Balmoral.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[Veritable Quandry]

She has passed away.

Queen Elizabeth II has died

Her son King Charles III pays tribute to his "beloved mother" who has died peacefully at Balmoral.

www.bbc.com

 

[Innula Zenovka]

I simply thought it strange that they needed to make comparisons about anything with the US in the first lines.

Probably name-recognition. The US President, whoever it is at the time, and the late Queen are probably the best-known heads of state in the world.

 

[Isabeau]

Even though I am not a fan of the royals and the institute, I'm surprisingly emotional watching the news.

 

[Erich Templar]

My wife is an ardent anti-monarchist ... and she's now watching the news and trying not to cry.

 

[Katheryne Helendale]

What sad news to wake up to.