dailystar.co.uk
08.09.2022 / 20:47
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BREAKING Buckingham Palace statement in full as Queen dies 'peacefully' at Balmoral aged 96
Queen Elizabeth II had reigned over the United Kingdom since 1952 and is the country’s longest-serving monarch.The statement in full from Buckingham Palace following the death of the Queen read: “The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon.“The King and The Queen Consort will remain at Balmoral this evening and will return to London tomorrow.”The Queen’s funeral will, according to tradition, be a state funeral, a rare honour mostly reserved for the sovereign.The only monarch not to be given a state funeral in the last 295 years was Edward VIII, who abdicated.State funerals have, on rare occasions, by order of the monarch and by a vote in Parliament providing the funds, been held for distinguished figures including Sir Isaac Newton, Lord Nelson, the Duke of Wellington and wartime prime minister Sir Winston Churchill.The last state funeral in the UK was Churchill’s in 1965.The last state funeral for a sovereign was for the Queen’s father, George VI, in 1952.Her death marks the end of the Elizabethan era and is certain to trigger an extended period of national mourning.Prince Charles, her eldest son, now becomes King having held the position of Prince of Wales for the longest period in history. Prince William is now expected to inherit that title.Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, will likely now become the Queen Consort.