Edhat Staff
By the edhat staff
The longest serving British monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, passed away Thursday at the age of 96.
The queen “died peacefully” at Balmoral Castle, her estate in the Scottish Highlands, royal family officials announced. Earlier on Thursday the palace reported she was placed under medical supervision.
Her eldest child Prince Charles, 73, immediately became king upon her death. He plans to return to London on Friday and will be known as King Charles III.
“The death of my beloved Mother, Her Majesty The Queen, is a moment of the greatest sadness for me and all members of my family,” Charles said in a statement. “We mourn profoundly the passing of a cherished Sovereign and a much-loved Mother. I know her loss will be deeply felt throughout the country, the Realms and the Commonwealth, and by countless people around the world.”
The Queen’s grandson and Montecito resident, Prince Harry is also reportedly en route to Balmoral Castle.
In 1983, Queen Elizabeth traveled to Santa Barbara to join then first lady Nancy Reagan in a tour of Old Mission Santa Barbara with Fr. Virgil. They reportedly brought bloodhounds through the Mission before she entered, and they let them watch her plant a tree in the cemetery, according to a previous edhat article.
The Queen acceded to the throne on February 6, 1952 and during her reign oversaw decolonization and the independence of more than 20 countries that were once a part of the British Empire, fifteen British Prime Ministers, and 14 U.S. Presidents.
Fr. Virgil and Queen Elizabeth in 1983 (Photo courtesy of Old Mission Santa Barbara and SB Mission Archives)
Queen Elizabeth and Nancy Reagan at the Santa Barbara Mission in 1983 (Photo courtesy of Old Mission Santa Barbara and SB Mission Archives)
Whether or not The Queen had inherited privilege or not is besides the point. She has provided incredible inspirational leadership for many/years and greatly responsible for the transformation of England after WWII. Everyone who knew and loved her thought of her as such a down-to-earth person….the American equivalent of “the girl next door.” It was a truly amazing event when she showed up in Santa Barbara back in the early 80s. She brought a certain class, style, and grace to our city which had not been seen for a long time. Of course she as born into an incredibly powerful and privileged family, but was beloved the world around. She took some heat for her tumultuous relationship with Princess Di, but people are people and no one is perfect. I hope our local churches and the County Courthouse will toll their bells long and loud in honor of this great human being who helped so many people with her generosity. What a loss, and such a sad day. God Bless The Queen!!!
I remember when they were at the mission, it was interesting to see such a different culture than the politics that we have here in our country, and awesome to see two strong women representing leadership. Born into a life that none of us will know or understand, she did her best and deserves the respect she has been shown by much of the world for all of these years. Rest in Peace Queen Elizabeth, you were a smart, funny, and tough lady in a world ruled more by men and narcissism than anything else.
These aren’t our politics… a woman died today. Let it be!
A truly great woman & leader. She & Michelle Obama had a surprising friendship & respect for one another. … showing all if us what emotional intelligence is at its best. There is no other leader now who garners such deep respect. She will be missed.
Great pix of SB visit Ed. Thanks for this tribute. I guess like many, we’ve become more interested in her inspiring reign after the countless articles, documentaries, docu-dramas, biopix and the likes of Downton Abbey. There are some beautiful pix of the rainbow at Buckingham Palace as she passed at Balmoral. This morning we’ve been watching (and listening as it streams in the background), the excellent BBC live stream. Long live the Queen. In our memories. She just passed quietly, with family by her side.
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/uk-62834633
Fawning over inherited privilege is pretty tiresome. Her “leadership” was not inspiring nor transformational nor intellectual. She did a phony job as assigned in exchange for a life extreme privilege. When she visited SB the whole of the court house was inconvenienced, justice was delayed, people were kicked out of their offices just for a photo op. Note that today Edhat also notes the death of an unfortunate at the edge of our freeway. Do we think his passing was as significant? Or is it not true that the bell tolls for all of us.
I’m sad for you, pathetic troll, not just for the inability to appreciate a life of service, devotion, humility and positive contributions. More for your notion that spreading cynicism and negativity make your life worth living. Who loves you now, and who will mourn your passing?
Don’t resent people who are born into different lives than you… we all have a different path and hers was her own, just like yours was your own and it sounds like you have done your best, just as she did too. To be down on someone that hasn’t earned your scorn to this level says a lot about your attitude.
How are people who call people “pathetic trolls” and ask questions like the one in your last sentence not trolls themselves?