Britain’s longest-serving monarch, Queen Elizabeth II died on Thursday but not without some natural phenomena that happened, which many have read as signs that show the respected monarch is really gone.
TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports that Queen Elizabeth II died aged 96 peacefully in the afternoon at Balmoral Castle after doctors first expressed concerns about her state of health, as announced by Buckingham Palace.
Shortly after Queen Elizabeth’s death, one natural phenomenon that happened is a double rainbow that appeared over Buckingham Palace, the London royal residence and the administrative headquarters of the monarch. Many described it as the Queen with her husband, Phillip, who died in 2021.
Another rainbow was also sighted at Windsor Castle in the English county of Berkshire. Those hearing the news of Queen Elizabeth’s death called it a sign and that Her Majesty has “really left us”.
TNG reports that the most iconic sign of the Queen’s departure was a cloud formation resembling Queen Elizabeth that appeared above an English town just an hour after her death.
A British woman, named Leanne Bethell, who lives in Telford in England’s west Midlands, captured the image of the cloud formation resembling Queen Elizabeth and shared it on Facebook.
“Driving home and Lacey starts shouting OMG! I panicked… Then she pointed this image out in the clouds. The Queen,” Bethell captioned the photos she captured and shared via Facebook.
TNG reports that the photo of the clouds with an uncanny resemblance to the Queen, whose death marks the end of an era, has since gone viral on social media.
World leaders, royals praise Queen Elizabeth II
Meanwhile, tributes and expressions of sympathy have poured in from world leaders and fellow monarchs around the globe following the death of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II, the country’s longest-reigning head of state.
UN Secretary General António Guterres said he was “deeply saddened” by the news. “Queen Elizabeth II was widely admired for her grace, dignity, and dedication around the world. She was a reassuring presence throughout decades of sweeping change, including the decolonisation of Africa and Asia and the evolution of the Commonwealth,” he said.
U.S. President Joe Biden called Elizabeth a “stateswoman of unmatched dignity and constancy” who deepened the U.S.-UK alliance.
“Her legacy will loom large in the pages of British history, and in the story of our world,” he said.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said she “exemplified selfless leadership and public service.”
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called the British monarch “one of the most respected personalities worldwide,” while European Council President Charles Michel praised her as “Elizabeth the Steadfast,” adding that she “never failed to show us the importance of lasting values in a modern world with her service and commitment.”
German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said Elizabeth was “admired and revered” in his country.
“Queen Elizabeth is a woman who has left her mark on a century, in the United Kingdom and beyond worldwide.
She experienced contemporary history and wrote contemporary history,” he said in a statement issued by his office.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz meanwhile called the queen a “role model and inspiration for millions, including here in Germany.”
He said her commitment “to German-British reconciliation after the horrors of the Second World War” had not been forgotten.
“She will be missed, not least her wonderful sense of humour,” he said.
The German Bundestag broke off a debate before observing a minute’s silence to mark the death of the monarch.
With her death, an era comes to an end,” former German chancellor Angela Merkel said.
“There are no words that can even begin to appreciate the towering importance of this Queen, her sense of duty, her moral integrity, her devotion and her dignity over seven decades for the United Kingdom, for Europe and for the world,” Merkel said in a statement.
Finnish President Sauli Niinistö also commented on the queen’s historic role. “In her 70-year reign, she witnessed and shaped history like few others. Her sense of duty and dedication are an example to us all,” he tweeted.
Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin also sent condolences.
Meanwhile Iceland’s Prime Minister Katrín Jakobsdóttir wrote that Queen Elizabeth would be remembered for being “a strong and courageous woman.”
“A historic era and a long life of service to Britain have come to an end,” Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said in a statement, while Sweden’s Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson said few had experienced as many transformative world events as Britain’s late queen.
Israel’s President Isaac Herzog commented on the queen’s strengths amid a changing world.
“Throughout her long and momentous reign, the world changed dramatically, while the Queen remained an icon of stable, responsible leadership, and a beacon of morality, humanity and patriotism,” Herzog said.
Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid also sent his condolences.
Even Russian President Vladimir Putin praised the late monarch, saying: “For many decades Elizabeth II rightly enjoyed the love and respect of her subjects.”
Calling Elizabeth a “rare and reassuring constant amid rapid change,” Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said that “through the noise and tumult of the years, she embodied and exhibited a timeless decency and an enduring calm.”
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said it was with “the heaviest of hearts” that he learned of the passing of Canada’s longest-reigning sovereign.
“Her Majesty’s reign spanned so many decades – a period when we came into our own as a confident, diverse, and forward-looking country. It is her wisdom, compassion, and warmth that we will always remember and cherish,” Trudeau added.
New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said Elizabeth had an unwavering sense of duty, while the country’s Māori King Tuheitia Pootatau Te Wherowhero said he had “received with sadness” the news of Queen Elizabeth II’s death. Tuheitia and his wife sent their “aroha [love] and respect to the Royal Family now gathering in Balmoral,” he said.
The pope sent his sympathies to the British royal family, praising Elizabeth’s service, her “example of devotion to duty, her steadfast witness of faith in Jesus Christ and her firm hope in his promises.”
Many of the royal families of Europe said they would miss her, praising her sense of duty and her historic reign.
“The Queen served her countries and the Commonwealth with a unique devotion and sense of duty,” Sweden’s King Carl XVI Gustaf, a distant relation of the queen, said in a statement issued by his court.
Denmark’s Queen Margrethe II, who was the queen’s third cousin, said Elizabeth was “highly respected and deeply loved,” adding that she “was a towering figure among the European monarchs and a great inspiration to us all. We shall miss her terribly.”
Spain’s King Felipe VI has expressed his deep sadness. “We will miss her very much,” he wrote in a telegram of condolences sent to Elizabeth II’s son, King Charles III.
The Dutch royal family also sent a tribute in a statement that also expressed gratitude for the friendship between the two nations.
Meanwhile King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium called her an “extraordinary personality” in a message of condolence.
“We will always keep fond memories of this great Lady, who, throughout her reign, showed dignity, courage and devotion,” the statement said.
Britain begins period of mourning for Queen Elizabeth II
Queen Elizabeth II will be commemorated by pomp and ceremony as Britain begins a period of mourning on Friday to mark the death of its former monarch.
Gun salutes will ring out in the capital and bells will toll across the country, with churches, chapels, and cathedrals encouraged by the Church of England to open for prayers or a special service for mourners.
The Queen’s son and successor King Charles III spoke of his grief soon after Buckingham Palace announced the death of the 96-year-old monarch, who died peacefully on Thursday afternoon at Balmoral.
Charles will now turn his mind to matters of state as he begins his first full day as the nation’s new monarch having spent much of his 73 years in preparation for the role.
Tributes have flooded in from around the globe, hailing the Queen’s unwavering commitment to serving her country and the Commonwealth.
King Charles III acceded to the throne immediately upon the death of Elizabeth II at the age of 96 in the sanctuary of Balmoral Castle.
The new King and Queen consort – Charles and his wife Camilla – will return to London on Friday, and the new monarch is expected to address the nation on television on Friday evening.
Gun salutes – one round for every year of the Queen’s life – will be fired in central London on Friday and the new monarch will hold his first audience with the prime minister.
Truss and senior ministers will attend a public service of remembrance at St. Paul’s in central London.
On Saturday morning, an Accession Council – the formal proclamation of Charles as King – will take place at St James’s Palace in London.
The first public proclamation of the new sovereign will then be read in the open air from the Friary Court balcony at St. James’s Palace by the Garter King of Arms.
Charles will hold audiences, and the media will be briefed by the Earl Marshal, who is in charge of the accession and the Queen’s funeral, on the coming days.
After the Queen’s health worsened, the royal family – including the Queen’s four children – Charles, the Princess of Royal, the Duke of York and the Earl of Wessex – and grandsons the Duke of Cambridge and the Duke of Sussex – cleared their diaries and rushed to be by her bedside on Thursday.
Royal doctors had recommended she remain under medical supervision, with the Palace issuing an unusually detailed update earlier in the day, saying royal doctors were concerned for her health.
The Duchess of Sussex, whose troubled relationship with the monarchy has long been documented, remained down south after initially planning to accompany Harry to Scotland.
The Duchess of Cornwall and Cambridge, as Kate’s title is now, stayed in Windsor – less than a 10-minute walk from Meghan’s Frogmore Cottage residence – with her children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis having had their first full day at school.
Behind the scenes, the long-held London Bridge plans for the Queen’s death are being rapidly put into action, setting out the next 11 days according to a strict timetable which will feature a lying in state and then the solemnity and grandeur of a state funeral.
The arrangements have a more complex factor due to the Queen’s death being in Scotland – and have triggered Operation Unicorn – the contingency plans in case of such an event.
Members of the royal family will be expected in the coming days to hold a poignant vigil around the Queen’s coffin in St Giles’ Cathedral in Edinburgh, and the Queen’s coffin will have to be transported by RAF plane back to London.
She is expected to lie in state in a few days’ time in London, with her funeral held in Westminster Abbey in central London, most likely on Monday Sept. 19.
