At HotEnough.com we are sad to announce that Queen Elizabeth II died on Thursday 8th September at her country estate in Balmoral, Scotland. We are grateful for her extraordinary diligence and dedication to the service of her country, for over seventy years. We hold deep admiration for the example that she set to others to contribute to the improvement and development of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
We will dedicate the articles that follow this news item to her passing and the declaration of Charles III as the new King of the United Kingdom.
On Tuesday 6th September Boris Johnson made his characteristically upbeat, bombastic and in places humorous farewell speech outside the front of Number 10 Downing Street. Throwing in only the smallest grudge holding quip about handing over the baton in the relay race that turned out to be a race (where) “they changed the rules halfway through” he rattled through an optimistic checklist of achievements delivered under his leadership and then wished Liz Truss well.
After thanking and shaking hands with the loyal members of his Conservative team he took his wife Carrie’s arm and jumped into an awaiting official car to be whisked away to Balmoral to see the Queen for the final time.
As the ancient protocol dictated, that same day the Queen then invited the incoming Prime Minister Liz Truss, who had already arrived in Balmoral the day before, to form a new government in Westminster. We all wondered if the Autumnal stormy weather would allow the logistical completion of the leaders travel plans. Fortunately, the careful preparations worked. The airforce was able to fly the new Prime Minister in a separate military jet to the Royal Air Force airport Northalt West London and deliver her ready to deliver her first speech as the new Prime Minister of England, before the sun set in central London.
Liz Truss’s first speech was a success and there was great excitement and much relief by members of the public of all ages. This is because she announced that there are plans emerging that will ensure the government can attempt to manage in a timely fashion the deepening energy crisis that threatens to push millions of working families into fuel poverty this winter. A new (lower than expected) ‘price cap’ of £2500 was discussed with more help for families on low incomes.
We were all heartened to see the charming photographs on Tuesday evenings BBC News of the Queen in her comfortable sitting room at Balmoral. Queen Elizabeth looked relaxed, if a little frail, at her meeting with Liz Truss, her fifteenth Prime Minister which, according to the informally snapped photograph, which Her Royal Highness seemed to enjoy.
The House of Commons began to make progress on Wednesday with an urgent set of priorities that include continuing to support Ukrainian’s fighting against Russia’s invading forces, delivering a strategy for providing affordable energy to homes in the UK this winter and addressing inflation and the cost-of-living crisis.
On Thursday Buckingham Palace advised Members of Parliament debating in the House of Commons in Westminster that the Queen’s health was a serious “cause for concern” and that members of the royal family were arriving in Balmoral to be with her.
From that moment onwards, the mood in the Houses of Parliament changed, all the issues of the day were paused, and the cabinet united to brace themselves for the sad news that Queen Elizabeth II, the only monarch that nearly everyone in the UK has known in their lives, had passed away peacefully in the company of her loved ones.