Good morning. After 70 years, the reign of Queen Elizabeth II is over. |
 | | The queen on a visit to Germany in 2015.Sean Gallup/Getty Images |
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She became queen when Britain was only seven years removed from World War II, and she went on to have the longest recorded reign of any monarch in world history other than Louis XIV. |
That 70-year reign ended yesterday, when Queen Elizabeth II died at 96 at Balmoral Castle in Scotland, her country estate. Her oldest son, Charles, immediately became king and will be formally crowned in coming months. In the meantime, Britain has begun a scripted 10-day ritual that only a tiny share of living people can recall having witnessed before. |
Today's newsletter will give you the latest news as well as the full breadth of Times coverage on Elizabeth's life and death. We'll also point you to some of the best coverage from elsewhere. And my colleagues Claire Moses and Ian Prasad Philbrick have compiled highlights of Times stories about Elizabeth dating to the announcement of her birth as Princess Elizabeth, the niece of King Edward VIII and a child that few imagined would one day be queen. |
- Elizabeth "survived tectonic shifts in her country's post-imperial society and weathered successive challenges posed by the romantic choices, missteps and imbroglios of her descendants," Alan Cowell writes in The Times's obituary of her.
- Charles, 73, is taking the title King Charles III. Charles I was beheaded in 1649. Charles II, his son, fled to France but was restored to the throne in 1660.
- Elizabeth was committed to royal rituals but also modernized the monarchy by mingling with crowds, embracing Instagram, starring in spoof videos and even playing a joke on two American tourists who didn't recognize her.
- President Biden called her a monarch who "defined an era" and ordered American flags flown at half-staff.
- As a girl at the railroad station. As a princess greeting World War II troops. As a bride on her wedding day. See images of Elizabeth's life.
- From Prince William (next in line) to Lucas Tindall (No. 23): This is the new order of succession.
- An Elizabeth reading list: Times editors recommend nine books that cover the turbulence, celebration, success and scandal of her long reign.
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 | | Elizabeth's coronation in 1953.PA Images, via Getty Images |
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Elizabeth's death starts several days of ritual pomp and mourning, mainly created in the late 19th century by Queen Victoria and her son Edward VII. |
- Charles will address the nation as king for the first time today. On Saturday, heralds will travel by horse to London's Trafalgar Square to read a proclamation declaring his reign. In the coming days, Charles will travel to capitals across the United Kingdom — Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast — and high sheriffs in traditional garb will announce the new monarch in towns and villages.
- The queen's coffin will rest at Buckingham Palace for four days, then lie in state in Westminster Hall for several more, atop a platform draped in regal purple with guards at each corner.
- The funeral will be roughly 10 days after the queen's death. Protocol calls for the nation to fall silent as her procession pauses at the entrance to Westminster Abbey. After the ceremony, her coffin will be placed on the same green gun carriage that carried her predecessors to their resting places — typically St. George's Chapel in Windsor Castle.
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Welcome, Elizabeth: The Times announced the birth of the new princess on April 21, 1926, under the headline "Empire Rejoices Over New Princess." It described her as "the fourth lady in the land" and "a possible, though improbable, successor to the throne of England." |
Wartime princess: When Elizabeth was 14, she delivered her first radio address, speaking to young people displaced by World War II. "And when peace comes, remember it will be for us, the children of today, to make the world of tomorrow a better and happier place," she said. |
Becoming queen: Reporting on her coronation ceremony in 1953, The Times wrote that "her face grew graver as it progressed." The crown, which weighed five pounds, made her chin drop when it was placed on her head. In Cuba, Ernest Hemingway set off fireworks and fired two 21-gun salutes. |
Her husband: Elizabeth was married to Prince Philip, who died last year at 99, for nearly three-quarters of a century. A Times reporter described his knelt vow to be her "liege man of life and limb" as "the most poignant moment" of her coronation, with Elizabeth appearing to wipe away a tear. |
Dozens of leaders: Fifteen British prime ministers, including Winston Churchill and — entering office a few days ago — Liz Truss, served under Elizabeth. The queen also met with all U.S. presidents since the end of World War II, except for Lyndon B. Johnson. It's unclear why they never met. |
Slow news days: In past decades, The Times covered even minor developments in Elizabeth's life, like her 36th birthday or a trip to Belgium. On Dec. 19, 1952, a dispatch reported that Elizabeth was the first reigning British monarch to see a public performance of the circus. On April 24, 1960, a short piece carried the headline: "Queen Elizabeth Has a Cold." |
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Lives Lived: One of the first Black anchors on network evening news, Bernard Shaw covered the Gulf War and asked a revealing, much-criticized question of Michael Dukakis during a presidential debate in 1988. Shaw died at 82. |
| SPORTS NEWS FROM THE ATHLETIC |
Well, hello Buffalo: The Bills lived up to their preseason hype in a statement 31-10 win over the defending Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams. M.V.P. favorite Josh Allen racked up 353 total yards and four touchdowns for the Bills. |
Defending champs ousted: The Connecticut Sun advanced to the W.N.B.A. Finals after the Chicago Sky suffered a stunning fourth-quarter meltdown in a winner-take-all semifinal Game 5 last night. The Sun will open the finals against the top-seeded Las Vegas Aces on the road Sunday. |
Fiction: "The Passenger" and "Stella Maris," Cormac McCarthy's first novels since "The Road," are separate but intertwined books. They tell the story of a brother and sister tormented by the legacy of their father, a physicist who helped develop the atom bomb. |
Nonfiction: "Indigenous Continent" by Pekka Hämäläinen, an Oxford University professor, refocuses four centuries of American history on the Native perspective. |
Memoir: In "Solito," the poet Javier Zamora captures his childhood impressions of the dangerous trek he took at age 9 from El Salvador to the U.S. |
 | | Bryan Gardner for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne. |
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The pangrams from yesterday's Spelling Bee were honeypot, neophyte and phenotype. Here is today's puzzle. |
Thanks for spending part of your morning with The Times. See you tomorrow. — David |
P.S. Fifty-six years ago today, Lyndon B. Johnson signed laws to set motor vehicle safety standards and reduce traffic deaths. |
Lauren Hard, Claire Moses, Ian Prasad Philbrick, Tom Wright-Piersanti and Ashley Wu contributed to The Morning. You can reach the team at themorning@nytimes.com. |
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