queen elizabeth speech 2022

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Prime Minister's statement on the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Prime Minister Liz Truss's statement on the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

Prime Minister Liz Truss’s statement on the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

We are all devastated by the news we have just heard from Balmoral.

The death of Her Majesty The Queen is a huge shock to the nation and to the world.

Queen Elizabeth II was the rock on which modern Britain was built.

Our country has grown and flourished under her reign.

Britain is the great country it is today because of her.

She ascended the throne just after the Second World War.

She championed the development of the Commonwealth - from a small group of seven countries to a family of 56 nations spanning every continent of the world.

We are now a modern, thriving, dynamic nation.

Through thick and thin, Queen Elizabeth II provided us with the stability and the strength that we needed.

She was the very spirit of Great Britain – and that spirit will endure.

She has been our longest-ever reigning monarch.

It is an extraordinary achievement to have presided with such dignity and grace for 70 years.

Her life of service stretched beyond most of our living memories.

In return, she was loved and admired by the people in the United Kingdom and all around the world.

She has been a personal inspiration to me and to many Britons. Her devotion to duty is an example to us all.

Earlier this week, at 96, she remained determined to carry out her duties as she appointed me as her 15th Prime Minister.

Throughout her life she has visited more than 100 countries and she has touched the lives of millions around the world.

In the difficult days ahead, we will come together with our friends…

….across the United Kingdom, the Commonwealth and the world…

…to celebrate her extraordinary lifetime of service.

It is a day of great loss, but Queen Elizabeth II leaves a great legacy.

Today the Crown passes - as it is has done for more than a thousand years - to our new monarch, our new head of state:

His Majesty King Charles III.

With the King’s family, we mourn the loss of his mother.

And as we mourn, we must come together as a people to support him.

To help him bear the awesome responsibility that he now carries for us all.

We offer him our loyalty and devotion just as his mother devoted so much to so many for so long.

And with the passing of the second Elizabethan age, we usher in a new era in the magnificent history of our great country,

– exactly as Her Majesty would have wished –

by saying the words…

God save the King.

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Queen Elizabeth's last speech and her thoughts on final partings

In her last year the monarch gave the nation a poignant official christmas message, celebrated her platinum jubilee, appeared with paddington bear and performed a final vital constitutional act, five of the queen's last public appearances.

In her final official address to the nation, on Christmas Day 2021, Queen Elizabeth II ’s opening words had a deep resonance over what has now passed following a year of dwindling public appearances.

“Although it’s a time of great happiness and good cheer for many, Christmas can be hard for those who have lost loved ones. This year, especially, I understand why.”

Her ability to capture the nation’s emotions with a sense of shared empathy was the glue that held Britain together at time of national crisis, as witnessed in the address during the Covid-19 pandemic in which almost 150,000 people had died by Christmas 2021.

She then referred to her husband, Prince Philip, who had died in April and the comfort she found from the many tributes paid to him.

She then gave her own very personal memory praising the prince’s “capacity to squeeze fun out of any situation,” then revealed her adoration for him: “That mischievous, enquiring twinkle was as bright at the end as when I first set eyes on him.”

The sad prescience of the speech continues. “But life, of course, consists of final partings as well as first meetings; and as much as I and my family miss him, I know he would want us to enjoy Christmas.”

The poignant message was her last official address to the nation. The queen remained in Windsor Castle, which after Balmoral was her favoured residence, awaiting her next major appearance for the platinum jubilee.

Platinum jubilee appearance

Having reigned for an unprecedented 70 years on the throne, Britain wanted to give Queen Elizabeth an appropriate mark of respect. In February, ahead of Accession Day, she cut a cake baked to acknowledge her 70 years on the throne as she met members of the Sandringham community, joking "I don't matter" when told it was facing the cameras rather than herself. In May, she also paid a brief visit to Paddington Station where she opened the new Elizabeth Line.

However, when it came to the official long weekend celebrations in June, it was clear over the four days that she was becoming frail but not so infirm that she could not record a piece of television that will be played for years to come.

The queen was filmed having tea with a British icon, Paddington Bear, in a delightful sketch shown on a big screen at her jubilee concert.

In the two-and-a-half minute sketch, kept secret even from her close family, Paddington shows the queen what he hides underneath his large hat ― his beloved marmalade sandwiches.

The queen grins then confides: “So do I” and opens her handbag removing her own sandwich. “I keep mine in here.”

A butler announces the platinum party is about to begin and in a warm voice, Paddington turns to the queen and says: “Happy Jubilee Ma'am, and thank you...for everything,” to which she replies: “That's very kind.”

During the extended public holiday weekend, she was seen cutting a cake

The queen managed to watch the military’s Trooping the Colour ceremony but it was rumoured that she was too tired to attend the finale events of a large celebrity-attended carnival down The Mall, celebrating seven decades of her rule.

But towards the end the distinct sovereign’s flag was hoisted above Buckingham Palace and minutes later the queen appeared on the balcony in a striking green dress accompanied by her son Charles, grandson Prince William and great-grandson Prince George.

As the national anthem of “God Save Our Queen” was played, the message of the continuity through the generations was clear. The applause and cheers were rapturous.

Final public event

Tired but elated, she retired to Windsor only to make a surprise appearance with her daughter Princess Anne on 15 July to open a hospice a short drive away in Maidenhead.

The sun shone as did the Queen’s smile, chatting to staff and terminally ill patients before drawing a small curtain to reveal a plaque at Thames Hospice celebrating the last ever of her thousands of official openings.

In early August she flew up to Balmoral, her traditional summer retreat where she could freely roam the Scottish Highlands.

Final act as queen

But her strength was ebbing away and Buckingham Palace let it be known that she would receive the next prime minister at Balmoral rather than in London.

Using a walking stick, with her disarming smile, Queen Elizabeth welcomed her 15th prime minister on Tuesday, the audience officially allowing Liz Truss to take on the vital duties of government.

It was a final act of duty that had immensely important constitutional implications, giving Ms Truss enough time to appoint a Cabinet approved by the sovereign to begin Britain’s fight against the brewing economic storm.

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Watch CBS News

King Charles III, in his first address, pledges "lifelong service" and thanks his "darling mama"

• https://www.cbsnews.com/live-updates/queen-elizabeth-ii-death-king-charles-iii-address-watch-live-stream-today-2022-09-09/ link copied

By Alex Sundby

Updated on: September 9, 2022 / 6:52 PM EDT / CBS News

London —  King Charles III  delivered his first address as king to the British people on Friday following the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth II . The queen was the only monarch most Britons ever knew, and her passing marked the end of an era that spanned seven decades .

"I speak to you today with feelings of profound sorrow," King Charles said in his address. "Throughout her life, Her Majesty the Queen, my beloved mother, was an inspiration, an example to me and to all my family, and we owe her the most heartfelt debt any family could owe to their mother."

Charles returned to London earlier Friday after spending the night at Balmoral Castle in Scotland, where the queen died. In his address to the nation, which aired during a televised service of remembrance at St. Paul's Cathedral in London, he paid tribute to his mother's dedication to her country.

"That promise of lifelong service I renew to you all today," Charles said.

Throngs of people greeted the new king and his wife Camilla, the Queen Consort , as they made their way into Buckingham Palace earlier Friday, where Charles' speech was recorded.

Members of the public and the government who gathered at St. Paul's held a moment of silence before King Charles' speech was played out.

"As the queen herself did with such unswerving devotion, I too now solemnly pledge myself, throughout the remaining time God grants me, to uphold the constitutional principles at the heart of our nation. And wherever you may live in the United Kingdom or in the realms and territories across the world, and whatever may be your background or beliefs, I shall endeavour to serve you with loyalty, respect, and love."

Charles said that he had given his heir, William, his former title of Prince of Wales, and expressed his support for his younger son Harry and his wife Meghan.

"With Catherine beside him, our new Prince and Princess of Wales will, I know, continue to inspire and lead our national conversations, helping to bring the marginal to the centerground, where vital help can be given... I also want to express my love for Harry and Meghan, as they continue to build their lives overseas."

The new king concluded his speech with more warm words for his departed mother, Queen Elizabeth II.

"To my darling mama, as you begin your last great journey to join my dear late papa, I want simply to say this: Thank you. Thank you for your love and devotion to our family and to the family of nations you have served so diligently all these years. May flights of angels sing thee to thy rest."

Alex Sundby is a senior editor at CBSNews.com. In addition to editing content, Alex also covers breaking news, writing about crime and severe weather as well as everything from multistate lottery jackpots to the July Fourth hot dog eating contest.

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Queen Misses a Traditional Ceremony, at a Disorderly Moment for Britain

For only the third time in 70 years, Elizabeth was unable to deliver her speech at the State Opening of Parliament. The palace said she had been having trouble walking; Prince Charles stood in.

By Mark Landler

Queen Elizabeth II has died . Follow the latest coverage .

LONDON — Britain opened its Parliament on Tuesday with all the pomp of an age-old ceremony: the imperial crown, carried on a velvet pillow; members of the royal family, parading through the House of Lords in military regalia; and the Queen’s Speech, setting out the government’s legislative agenda.

Only this time, Prince Charles read the speech, filling in for Queen Elizabeth II , who missed the ceremony, one of her most solemn constitutional duties, for only the third time in 70 years. Her absence was striking, and a poignant metaphor for a country in which multiple pillars of the establishment, from Buckingham Palace to Westminster, are in flux.

The queen, 96, canceled the night before because she was having trouble walking, according to the palace. It was the first time she had formally ceded her responsibilities to her eldest son and heir, Charles, a clear sign that the British monarchy has taken on the elements of a regency, in fact if not in law.

“The king in waiting is having to act more and more like he’s the monarch, but without yet wearing the crown,” said Peter Hunt, a former royal correspondent for the BBC. “As the queen has aged, change has occurred without any fanfare.”

She is not the only prominent figure at a crossroads. Prime Minister Boris Johnson, already scarred by a scandal over illicit parties held during the pandemic , is clinging to power after his Conservative Party suffered setbacks in local elections last week.

The opposition leader, Keir Starmer, who has been trying to leverage Mr. Johnson’s travails into a return to power for Labour, is on the defensive himself for potentially breaching Covid restrictions by eating and drinking with members of his party. He has vowed to resign if the police fine him for breaking the rules.

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Australia appoints second woman governor-general in 123 years to represent British monarch

Australia appointed Samantha Mostyn on Monday as only its second woman governor-general, a largely ceremonial role representing the British monarch who is the nation’s head of state. It is the first such Australian appointment since the reign of King Charles III began in 2022 and the first by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s center-left Labor Party government which wants to replace the British monarch with an Australian president as head of state.

Governor-General of Australia Sam Mostyn, center, speaks during the swearing in ceremony in the Senate chamber at Parliament House in Canberra, Monday, July 1, 2024, as Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, left, listens. Mostyn is Australia’s second woman governor-general, a largely ceremonial role representing the British monarch as the nation’s head of state. (Lukas Coch/AAP Image via AP)

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MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Australia appointed Sam Mostyn on Monday as only its second woman governor-general, a largely ceremonial role representing the British monarch who is the nation’s head of state.

It is the first such Australian appointment since the reign of King Charles III began in 2022 and the first by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s center-left Labor Party government that wants to replace the British monarch with an Australian president as head of state.

The businesswoman and gender equality advocate, who in 2005 became the first woman Australian Football League Commissioner, was sworn in as Australia’s 28th governor-general since 1901.

In her first speech in her new role, Mostyn quoted Australia’s first woman governor-general Quentin Bryce , who described her role in 2013 as “striking a balance between observing traditions and protocol and being thoroughly contemporary.”

“I will be an optimistic, modern and visible governor-general, committed to the service and contribution that all Australians expect and deserve from the holder of this office,” Mostyn said.

Mostyn said she had spoken about the role with all five surviving former governors-general, including Bryce who was appointed by Queen Elizabeth II on the advice of a Labor prime minister and served from 2008 and 2014.

Albanese’s government was elected in 2022 advocating for a referendum to create an Australian republic with an Australian citizen as head of state.

But he gave preference to holding a referendum in his government’s first three-year term to enshrine in the constitution an Indigenous panel that would advise the government on Indigenous issues.

That referendum was defeated last year and though Albanese has not yet announced plans for a republic referendum, the office of Assistant Minister for the Republic has been created to prepare the nation for change.

Critics of Mostyn’s appointment highlight her past activism. She had also supported an Australian republic and described Australia Day , the arrival of the first British colonists at the site of Sydney on Jan. 26, 1788, as “Invasion Day,” a term used by some Indigenous leaders.

Mostyn said she had met the king in Britain in May and passed on Australians’ best wishes for the health of both he and Kate, Princess of Wales, who are being treated for cancer.

“I am not the first Australian to be struck by the interest and warmth the king feels for this country where he lived and studied as a young man,” Mostyn said, referring to several months he had spent as a teen in an Australian boarding school in 1966.

Many Labor Party supporters who want a republic remember the 1975 dismissal of Labor Prime Minister Gough Whitlam’s government by then Governor-General John Kerr.

Mostyn recalled watching television news coverage of that constitutional crisis as a 10-year-old in a Canberra hospital where she was being treated for a broken leg.

Mostyn replaces Gen. David Hurley , a former Australian Defense Force chief.

The government last week passed legislation to raise the governor-general’s pay to 709,000 Australian dollars a year ($473,000) for her five-year term, drawing criticism from some lawmakers that the salary was excessive. Hurley was paid AU$495,000 (330,000) a year, but also received a military pension.