By Neve Walker and Hong-An Phan

September 8, 2022, will forever be memorialized as the devastating day the beloved Queen Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor II died peacefully in Balmoral Castle, aged ninety-six.

Queen Elizabeth was born on April 26, 1926, in Mayfair, London. Her father, King George VI, was crowned when she was ten, making her the heir to the British throne. At age twenty-five, Queen Elizabeth mourned the passing of her father, and she rose to claim the title of queen.

Queen Elizabeth took the throne in February 1952, seven years after the conclusion of World War II. Her reign outlasted fifteen Prime Ministers, starting with Winston Churchill, born in 1874, and ending with Liz Truss, born in 1975.

Her triumphant reign lasted seventy years, as she was the United Kingdom’s longest-serving monarch. Queen Elizabeth witnessed decades worth of history being made since she took to the throne.

King Charles III, Queen Elizabeth II’s firstborn son, has said that the death of his mother was a “moment of great sadness” for him and his family. Her loss would be “deeply felt” from around the globe.

“We mourn profoundly the passing of a cherished sovereign and a much-loved mother.” King Charles said. “I know her loss will be deeply felt throughout the country, the realms and the Commonwealth, and by countless people around the world.”

Britain’s Parliament is to postpone all business until the completion of the late queen’s funeral. Her coffin will be laid at Westminster Hall for three days, and British civilians are granted permission for visitation in memorial of her death. Ten days after her passing, a state funeral service is planned to be held at Westminster Abbey, during which two minutes of silence in the United Kingdom will be observed.

Alongside the common people, many prominent world leaders mourn her death:

The United Kingdom’s Prime Minister, Liz Truss, said that Queen Elizabeth II was the rock that modern Britain was built upon. She had “provided us with the stability and strength we needed.”

“And with the passing of the second Elizabethan age, we usher in a new era in the magnificent history of our great country,” said Truss. “Exactly as Her Majesty would have wished, by saying the words ‘God save the King’.”

United States President, Joe Biden, reminisces on the Queen’s solidarity with the United States after the tragic 9/11 terrorist attacks, during the country’s “darkest days.”

President of France, Emmanuel Macron, believes she was a “kind-hearted Queen” and a “friend(s) of France.”

Canada’s Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, affirms that the Queen was a constant being in Canadians’ lives and one of his “favorite people in the world.”

Queen Elizabeth will be buried on the grounds of Windsor Castle beside her late husband, Prince Philip, who passed in April 2021. Although Queen Elizabeth’s passing is a devastating loss, none can deny the illustrious legacy that she has continued in her successful life. While her journey has reached the end of its road, the world can proudly commemorate her accomplishments during our time of mourning.