Death of Queen Elizabeth II (Fester)

On 9 September 2024, at 13:45 (BST), Queen Elizabeth II, the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth, died in her sleep at Buckingham Palace, London, with her eldest son, Prince Charles, at her bedside. She had been suffering from pneumonia for the previous three weeks. At 98 years and 4 months old, she was the longest-lived monarch of the royal family in British history.

Immediate Reaction
Operation ‘London Bridge‘ was set into motion, with the Queen’s Private Secretary informing Prime Minister Keir Starmer of Elizabeth II’s passing, using the phrase “London Bridge is down”.

The Foreign Office's Global Response Centre, based at a secret location in London, then communicated the news to the governments of the fifteen other countries of which the Queen was head of state (the Commonwealth realms), and to the governments of the other countries of the Commonwealth of Nations.

The media was then informed via an announcement to the Associated Press and BBC News. All programming was immediately ceased and cut to “God Save the Queen” playing with the royal standard flying. A BBC News reporter then announced the death of the monarch.

Prince Charles immediately became the monarch and was crowned as King George VII of the United Kingdom. He tried to soothe the nation and honored his mother.

Three billion people watched Queen Elizabeth‘s funeral, making it the most watched TV event in history.

Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Keir Starmer thanked Elizabeth for her service to the nation and tried to help a mourning world come together.

President of the United States Joe Biden sent condolences to her family and wished King George the best.

Queen Elizabeth was interred in the George VI Memorial Chapel next to her husband, Prince Philip, who had died 3 years previously.

Aftermath
The United Kingdom’s national anthem was changed back to “God Save the King” as the monarch was now a man.

This is commonly known as the beginning of the end for the monarchy, as King George was a widely hated figure, and neither King William V nor King George VIII could restore it, King George VIII was the final monarch before the institution fell apart in the 2070s.