A rainbow over London. Crowds at Buckingham Palace. A few bouquets at Balmoral Castle.
These were some of the scenes Thursday as the world marked Queen Elizabeth II’s death.
The queen’s death was announced at 1:30 p.m., and, as some noted on Twitter, a full rainbow appeared in London at about the same time.
It was a soggy day in the United Kingdom’s capital, but it didn’t stop thousands from paying tribute to the longest-reigning monarch in the nation’s history.
Flags flew at half-mast around the world to mark her death at 96 years old, while world leaders paid tribute and spoke of the queen’s influence over her 70-year reign.
Her death came only days after Britain announced a new prime minister, Liz Truss, who made a statement outside of 10 Downing St. in London. A notice was placed outside Buckingham Palace announcing the queen’s death.
Former Canadian prime minister Brian Mulroney told Global News that the queen had known every significant figure of the last 70 years and had helped spread their wisdom to new leaders she met. Gov. Gen. Mary Simon signed a condolence book in Ottawa and spoke in English, French and her native language of Inuktitut.
Queen Elizabeth died at Balmoral Castle in Scotland, her summer home and one of her favourite places to spend time. Her family was spotted arriving at the location, including Prince Harry and Prince William, the latter of whom became the Duke of Cornwall on Thursday.
Her image was shown across the world, including above highways in Los Angeles, in New York City’s Times Square and at a Philadelphia baseball game.
Prince Charles was proclaimed King Charles III and is Britain’s new monarch. The queen’s death comes at a time of crisis for the United Kingdom as the country faces an energy crunch and spiking inflation.
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