Queen Elizabeth II dies at age 96

[Ted$8roadFan]

As far as I am aware, the actual time of the Queen's death has not yet been released.  There was a tweet from the monarchy's official account at 6.41 PM local time, but it has been reported that news was brought to Liz Truss and Keir Starmer in Parliament at 12.21 PM that prompted long faces; BBC anchor Huw Edwards was in a black suit and tie at 1.48 PM; and another BBC anchor tweeted at 3.07 PM that Buckingham Palace had announced the death and retracted it at 3.19 PM, saying no announcement had yet been made.

When I checked the Guardian around noon my local time (six hours behind BST), she was still described as being "under medical supervision."  I actually first learned the news about an hour later through the Washington Post's banner headline.  This all feels very sudden--as recently as two days ago she was only described as having mobility issues that required Truss to fly to Scotland to kiss hands.

The family going to her bedside was a clue that she was nearing death,

[Scott5114]

This couldn't have happened at a worse time for the monarchy–the British public is undergoing a cost-of-living crisis that by all accounts I've read is far worse than what we got hit with in the US. There will be no way to do the traditional pomp and circumstance of the coronation (which costs a great deal of public money) without it coming off as catastrophically tone-deaf.

[kphoger]

As far as I am aware, the actual time of the Queen's death has not yet been released.  There was a tweet from the monarchy's official account at 6.41 PM local time, but it has been reported that news was brought to Liz Truss and Keir Starmer in Parliament at 12.21 PM that prompted long faces; BBC anchor Huw Edwards was in a black suit and tie at 1.48 PM; and another BBC anchor tweeted at 3.07 PM that Buckingham Palace had announced the death and retracted it at 3.19 PM, saying no announcement had yet been made.

When I checked the Guardian around noon my local time (six hours behind BST), she was still described as being "under medical supervision."  I actually first learned the news about an hour later through the Washington Post's banner headline.  This all feels very sudden--as recently as two days ago she was only described as having mobility issues that required Truss to fly to Scotland to kiss hands.

Here in Wichita, KAKE news jumped the gun by a little bit.  My wife texted me she had read a social media post by KAKE that the Queen was dead, and that text message was at 6:34pm (Britain time).  She then realized there wasn't an actual article to go along with the post, so she checked the official royal site, and no official announcement had yet been made.  Then, literally seconds later, she saw it change on the royal site.  She then texted me to let me know it was official, and that message was at 6:39pm (Britain time).

[Urban Prairie Schooner]

To make this thread road-related, the Queen was born the same year that the US highway system was officially introduced.

[davewiecking]

QE2 reigned for about 28.5% of the time the United States has existed.

[MikeTheActuary]

The family going to her bedside was a clue that she was nearing death,

The BBC news presenters having switched to black clothes hours before the formal announcement was the even more telling clue.

[davewiecking]

https://twitter.com/mroctober/status/1567959503081189376

[MikeTheActuary]

I mean new currency. My gut tells me that they (countries that use her face on currency) will continue to put her face on some currency well after her death. Things will continue to be named in her honor, statues erected, etc. Even those who may have disdain for her, likely have their disdain rooted in anti-monarchy values; ergo, nothing personal.

Canada announced awhile back that the mint will change their coins more or less as soon as they get new dies approved by the Crown, but the Queen will remain on the $20 bill until it next comes up for redesign.  I'm going to guess that's a couple of years out, after they finish working on the design of the new $5.

I'm not sure if there's a requirement that the Sovereign be on the $20, and I suppose there's a chance they might choose to become a republic.

[Stephane Dumas]

I mean new currency. My gut tells me that they (countries that use her face on currency) will continue to put her face on some currency well after her death. Things will continue to be named in her honor, statues erected, etc. Even those who may have disdain for her, likely have their disdain rooted in anti-monarchy values; ergo, nothing personal.

Canada announced awhile back that the mint will change their coins more or less as soon as they get new dies approved by the Crown, but the Queen will remain on the $20 bill until it next comes up for redesign.  I'm going to guess that's a couple of years out, after they finish working on the design of the new $5.

I'm not sure if there's a requirement that the Sovereign be on the $20, and I suppose there's a chance they might choose to become a republic.

We got to check if Australia and New Zealand will change their coins as well.

[bing101]

This couldn't have happened at a worse time for the monarchy–the British public is undergoing a cost-of-living crisis that by all accounts I've read is far worse than what we got hit with in the US. There will be no way to do the traditional pomp and circumstance of the coronation (which costs a great deal of public money) without it coming off as catastrophically tone-deaf.

https://www.npr.org/2022/09/06/1121266992/liz-truss-prime-minister-queen-elizabeth

And the crazy part here is that PM Truss still needs to appoint cabinet members to office and she finds herself having to get the UK Mourn the now former Queen and Inaugurate the next King of England. This is a crazy start for Truss but understandable.


https://www.khou.com/article/news/verify/world-verify/king-charles-automatically-takes-throne-england-after-queen-elizabeth-death/536-142f1571-c29d-44b9-80a2-155879ed555c

https://thehill.com/homenews/nexstar_media_wire/3634826-will-king-charles-iii-now-appear-on-bank-of-england-banknotes/

[Ted$8roadFan]

https://twitter.com/mroctober/status/1567959503081189376

I was waiting for this.

[GreenLanternCorps]

This couldn't have happened at a worse time for the monarchy–the British public is undergoing a cost-of-living crisis that by all accounts I've read is far worse than what we got hit with in the US. There will be no way to do the traditional pomp and circumstance of the coronation (which costs a great deal of public money) without it coming off as catastrophically tone-deaf.

The Coronation will not happen until next Summer or the following Spring.  They need time to plan.

[J N Winkler]

This couldn't have happened at a worse time for the monarchy–the British public is undergoing a cost-of-living crisis that by all accounts I've read is far worse than what we got hit with in the US. There will be no way to do the traditional pomp and circumstance of the coronation (which costs a great deal of public money) without it coming off as catastrophically tone-deaf.

It doesn't have to be done immediately--Elizabeth's own ceremony did not take place until almost 16 months after she succeeded her father.  It cost £1.57 million in 1953 nominal money (the equivalent of about £43 million in 2019).

At the moment the cost-of-living debate is focused on a regulatory cap on household energy bills that is set up to go to £3800 annually for a typical household on October 1 (typical here used advisedly since the cap is actually based on maximum rates per day--the October increase corresponds to a jump from £0.28 to £0.52 per kWh of electricity and £0.07 to £0.15 per kWh of gas).  Even middle-class households are expected to struggle to pay their bills.

[mgk920]

How long will it be before Canada's QEW (Queen Elizabeth Way) becomes the KCW (King Charles Way)?

Mike

[J N Winkler]

How long will it be before Canada's QEW (Queen Elizabeth Way) becomes the KCW (King Charles Way)?

It never will.  It is actually named after Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother.

[hbelkins]

https://twitter.com/mroctober/status/1567959503081189376

I was waiting for this.

Someone is going to have to explain this to me. (I still despise Reggie because he played for the A's in 1972).

[gonealookin]

https://twitter.com/mroctober/status/1567959503081189376

I was waiting for this.

Someone is going to have to explain this to me. (I still despise Reggie because he played for the A's in 1972).

It's a reference to Reggie's appearance in "The Naked Gun".

https://www.outkick.com/reggie-jackson-references-naked-gun-in-queen-elizabeth-tribute/

I was an 11-year-old A's fan living in Walnut Creek, CA in 1972.  They won the World Series that year and in '73 and '74 as well.  I knew they wouldn't win it every year but my 11-year-old mind calculated about 20 World Series wins for the A's by 2022.  Hmmm, somehow that hasn't happened.  I would note that the A's won the 1972 World Series without Reggie, as he blew out his hamstring stealing home in the final game of the ALCS in Detroit.  Your Reds lost because of a lot of Gene Tenace and Rollie Fingers.

[ClassicHasClass]

As an dual-citizen Aussie-American, and married to an Aussie, this was a sad day. I was more sad about this than I thought I'd be. Charles III is definitely a step down.

[brad2971]

This couldn't have happened at a worse time for the monarchy—the British public is undergoing a cost-of-living crisis that by all accounts I've read is far worse than what we got hit with in the US. There will be no way to do the traditional pomp and circumstance of the coronation (which costs a great deal of public money) without it coming off as catastrophically tone-deaf.

It doesn't have to be done immediately--Elizabeth's own ceremony did not take place until almost 16 months after she succeeded her father.  It cost £1.57 million in 1953 nominal money (the equivalent of about £43 million in 2019).

At the moment the cost-of-living debate is focused on a regulatory cap on household energy bills that is set up to go to £3800 annually for a typical household on October 1 (typical here used advisedly since the cap is actually based on maximum rates per day--the October increase corresponds to a jump from £0.28 to £0.52 per kWh of electricity and £0.07 to £0.15 per kWh of gas).  Even middle-class households are expected to struggle to pay their bills.

That corresponds to a rate of about $0.60 per kWh in USD. By comparison, in 2022, US customers pay $0.16/kWh for electricity, with Hawaii's citizens paying the most at about $0.40/kWh and California citizens paying about $0.27/kWh. While we in the States have been dealing with our own issues with higher energy costs, at least we're not even close to what the UK and Europe are facing.

[adventurernumber1]

This is a sad day indeed, and feels a lot like the ending of an era. The Queen's longevity was incredible, as she ascended to the throne while not much older than me (an early 20s college student), and reigned until a few years short of 100. She was the Queen during the existence of 14 different U.S. presidential administrations (starting with Harry S. Truman), and her reign also precedes the Interstate Highway System by a few years. I was shocked to see the news when I came out of class today, especially since it was such a sudden decline (I do remember seeing the news articles about limited mobility causing the cancellation of an appearance a few days ago). This news also hit me harder than I would have expected, especially since I have no connections to Britain at all. But it's something about a significant point of transition in history that weighs heavy with significance and contemplation. RIP, she will go down in history as a true icon of the 20th and 21st Centuries.

[qguy]

Fun fact... The PM when QEII ascended the throne and the PM when she died were born over a hundred years apart. (Winston Churchill, b.1874; Liz Truss, b.1975.)

[NWI_Irish96]

https://twitter.com/mroctober/status/1567959503081189376

I was waiting for this.

Someone is going to have to explain this to me. (I still despise Reggie because he played for the A's in 1972).

How have you never seen The Naked Gun?

[Rothman]

https://twitter.com/mroctober/status/1567959503081189376

I was waiting for this.

Someone is going to have to explain this to me. (I still despise Reggie because he played for the A's in 1972).

How have you never seen The Naked Gun?

Heh.  You should peruse more of HB's posts.  Him not seeing The Naked Gun is pretty middlin' when it comes to his other pop culture blind spots.

[1995hoo]

Fun fact... The PM when QEII ascended the throne and the PM when she died were born over a hundred years apart. (Winston Churchill, b.1874; Liz Truss, b.1975.)

It keeps making me think of a true bizarre fact about American history:

The late President John Tyler (served 1841 to 1845, died in 1862) has one grandson who is still alive today. His first wife died, he remarried a much younger woman, and he had children by her, including one son born very late in John Tyler's life. That son, in turn, married a much younger woman and had sons very late in life, one of whom died just a few years ago and another of whom (born in 1928) remains alive today. It's mind-boggling to think that there is someone alive today whose grandfather was born when George Washington was president and George III was king!

[MikeTheActuary]

Canada announced awhile back that the mint will change their coins more or less as soon as they get new dies approved by the Crown, but the Queen will remain on the $20 bill until it next comes up for redesign.  I'm going to guess that's a couple of years out, after they finish working on the design of the new $5.

I'm not sure if there's a requirement that the Sovereign be on the $20, and I suppose there's a chance they might choose to become a republic.

I just read that there's no law in Canada requiring the Monarch be on Canadian coins and currency.   Charles III will probably appear on the coins because of tradition, but the new C$20 bill may go with a non-royal, as concerns of diversity/equity make "an old white man" a less-than-desirable choice for the new bill.