Queen Elizabeth's state funeral date announced

Queen Elizabeth's state funeral will take place on Sept. 19, at Westminster Abbey in London, officials announced Saturday. "We will carry out our duty over the coming days with the heaviest of hearts, but also with the firmest of resolve to ensure a fitting farewell to one of the defining figures of our times," said Edward Fitzalan-Howard, the duke of Norfolk,  peer in charge of state occasions, Officials said the service would be "a fitting farewell to one of the defining figures of our times,"  Buckingham Palace said King Charles has requested a period of mourning to be observed until seven days after the funeral. 

King Charles III of the United Kingdom

 

King Charles III of the United Kingdom

Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and 14 other Commonwealth realms. He acceded to the throne on 8 September 2022 upon the death of his mother, Elizabeth II. As Duke of Cornwall and Duke of Rothesay from 1952 to his accession, he was the oldest and the longest-serving heir apparent in British history, and the longest-serving Prince of Wales, having held the title from 26 July 1958 until his accession. At 73 years of age, Charles is also the oldest person ever to assume the British throne, a record previously held since 1830 by William IV at age 64.

Charles was born in Buckingham Palace, the first child of his mother and Philip, Duke of Edinburgh; he was the first grandchild of King George VI and his consort, Queen Elizabeth. He was educated at Cheam and Gordonstoun schools, both of which his father attended as a child. He later spent a year at the Timbertop campus of Geelong Grammar School in Victoria, Australia. After earning a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Cambridge, Charles served in the Royal Air Force and Royal Navy from 1971 to 1976. In 1981, he married Lady Diana Spencer, with whom he had two sons, Prince William and Prince Harry. In 1996, the couple divorced after they had each engaged in well-publicised extramarital affairs. Diana died as the result of a car crash in Paris the following year. In 2005, Charles married his long-time partner, Camilla Parker Bowles.

Death of Queen Elizabeth II

Queen Elizabeth II

On 8 September 2022, Elizabeth II, the Queen of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms, and the longest-living and longest-reigning British monarch, died at the age of 96 at Balmoral Castle in Scotland, following medical supervision by her doctors. Upon the Queen's death, Charles III, her eldest son, immediately took the throne as the King of the United Kingdom and fourteen other Commonwealth realms. The official announcement came at 18:30 BST.

Her death set in motion Operation London Bridge, a collection of highly specific plans including arrangements for her funeral, and Operation Unicorn, which set protocols for the Queen's death in Scotland. The United Kingdom, as part of Operation London Bridge, is observing a national mourning period of 10 days. A funeral service for Elizabeth has not been announced yet.

Elizabeth II's death was met by an outpouring of reactions from world leaders, government officials, public figures, organisations, religious leaders, individuals within the royal family, and citizens of the Commonwealth and elsewhere.

Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during her life and served as monarch of 15 of them at the time of her death. Her reign of 70 years and 214 days is the longest of any British monarch and the longest recorded of any female head of state in history.

London: Boris Johnson steps down

 In Britain, it's a day for the changing of the guard. Boris Johnson was formally tendering his resignation to the queen as he urged the nation to support his successor, Liz Truss. "This is it, folks," the 58-year-old Johnson said in his final speech before stepping down, according to Sky News. He also managed to compare himself both to a rocket and a Roman statesman

Russian Embassy bombed in Kabul

A suicide bombing outside the Russian Embassy in the Afghan capital of Kabul on Monday killed two members of the embassy staff and at least one Afghan civilian in a rare attack on a foreign diplomatic mission in Afghanistan. The blast went off at the entrance to the embassy's consular section, where Afghans were waiting for news about their visas, according to the Russian Foreign Ministry and the state news agency RIA Novosti. A Russian diplomat had emerged from the building to call out the names of candidates for visas when the explosion occurred, the agency said. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the blast, according to the AP. Ten people were wounded, police said.

Britain's Conservative Party has chosen Liz Truss as new Prime Minister

Britain's Conservative Party has chosen Foreign Secretary Liz Truss as the party's new leader. Truss' selection was announced Monday in London after a leadership election in which only the 180,000 dues-paying members of the Conservative Party were allowed to vote. Truss beat Rishi Sunak,   by promising to increase defense spending and cut taxes, while refusing to say how she'd address the cost-of-living crisis.

Pope Francis beatifies John Paul I

Pope John Paul I

Pope Francis on Sunday beatified one of his predecessors, John Paul I, a briefly serving pontiff who distinguished himself with his humility and cheerfulness. The ceremony in St. Peter's Square constituted the last formal step in the Vatican before possible sainthood for Albino Luciani. John Paul I "with a smile communicated the goodness of the Lord," Francis said in his homily. Francis encouraged people to pray to the newly beatified churchman to "obtain for us the smile of the soul."