She reigned for almost three quarters of a century as the world changed around her. She was a symbol of unity in good times and bad. Successful because she knew her unique place and she understood it. The act of being there, of being. You know, a. A continuing. Reference point of stability and endless duties is something that i think is. Is of the greatest importance. It was really about service and her definition of service, and that was a lifetime. Literally 24 7, 365 days of the year. It was never something you could turn off and turn on. It was there all the time. It is so strange to almost everyone in this countryl that she is no longer queen. It will take a long while to come to terms with that. I declare before you all, that my whole life, whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service and to the service of our great imperialfamily to which we all belong. As Queen Elizabeth ii, she reigned over more than 135 Million People and, as head of the commonwealth, a third
it was a profound personal commitment which defined her whole life. she made sacrifices for duty. her dedication and devotion as sovereign never wavered, through times of change and progress, through times ofjoy and celebration and through times of sadness and loss. in her life of service, we saw that abiding love of tradition, together with that fearless embrace of progress which makes us great as nations. the affection, admiration and respect she inspired became the hallmark of her reign. and as every member of my family can testify, she combined these qualities with warmth, humour and an unerring ability always to see the best in people. i pay tribute to my mother s memory, and i honour her life of service. i know that her death brings great sadness to so many of you, and i share that sense of loss beyond measure with you all. when the queen came to the throne, britain and the world were still coping with the privations and aftermath of the second world war and still livin
burial in the royal vault alongside her husband prince philip in windsor this evening. as we are watching traditions that go back centuries and updated by the queen s agreement grandmother, queen victoria in 1901. the queen s casket will arrive at windsor castle, with the procession ending outside st. george s chapel. she will be the first female sovereign there. we will be bringing you the committal service for which some of the music was composed by the former chapel organist who is believed to have taught young princess elizabeth to play the piano. hundreds of world leaders, including president biden and more than 2,000 dignitaries joined the royal family for the queen s state funeral at westminster abbey. the 13th century seat of the church of england and where 25-year-old elizabeth was core nated 75 years ago. the queen said her funeral should not be long and boring. it was just about one-hour long, managing to be both personal and a world-class good-bye, including a
her reign spanned 15 british prime ministers, 14 american presidents, seven popes, the end of the soviet empire, the decline of her own and its rebirth as modern britain. the people you see there outside buckingham palace and gathering elsewhere as well, windsor castle, have been gathering since this afternoon in the rain on word that the queen in balmoral castle in scotland had been put under medical supervision. the arrival of family members underscored the gravity of the hour and the family s single-minded response to it. the image of two of the queen s sons, prince andrew and edward and prince william at the wheel altogether in the same vehicle. from a sometimes contentious but message conscious family, the message this image sent was clear. then the clouds began lifting, rainbows formed outside buckingham palace and windsor castle. they signalled hope but delivered only sadness a short time later. the news coming in a simple message behind a humble frame in keeping with
take the oath? for more than seven decades, queen elizabeth ii dedicated her life to her country. the queen took a view that her duty was a lifelong commitment. she put duty above all else. she loved her younger sister, but she couldn t give her permission to marry somebody who was divorced. she sacked her son from the family firm. she survived extraordinary crises. princess diana has died. the issue vournding charles and diana probably rocked the monarchy to its core. the future of the monarchy really hung in the balance. and she revolutionized the british monarchy. the monarchy should expect to be free from the scrutiny of those who give their loyalty and support. she steered the world through 70 years of tumultuous change. her legacy will be the fact that we still have a monarchy. tonight a cnn special report. a queen for the ages, elizabeth ii. i have found it i impossible to carry the heavy duty of responsibility and discharge my duties of k