Posted: September 8, 2022
Britain’s longest-serving monarch, Queen Elizabeth, dies aged 96
By the Movieguide® team
After 70 years as Britain’s matriarch, Queen Elizabeth II, the country’s longest-serving monarch, has died aged 96, Buckingham Palace confirmed on Thursday, September 8, 2022.
“The Queen passed away peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon,” Buckingham Palace wrote in a statement. “The King and Queen Consort will stay at Balmoral tonight and return to London tomorrow.”
Queen Elizabeth’s family attended after doctors previously expressed concerns about her health.
Queen Elizabeth II became queen following the death of her father, King George VI, on February 6, 1952; she was 25 years old.
After his mother’s death, the Queen’s eldest son, Charles, 73, became King of the United Kingdom.
Although the Queen’s public engagements have been less over the past year due to what the palace described as ‘episodic mobility issues’, she has continued to take important constitutional steps, the latest of which came Tuesday after accepting the resignation of Prime Minister Boris Johnson. and called Liz Truss to take her place.
“The whole country will be deeply concerned by the news from Buckingham Palace this lunchtime,” Truss said. “My thoughts – and the thoughts of people across our UK – are with Her Majesty The Queen and her family at this time.”
According to the Washington Post, a 21-year-old Elizabeth said: “I declare before you all that my whole life, whether long or short, will be devoted to your service, and to the service of our great Imperial family to which we belong. all.
Four years later, she becomes Queen of England. After 70 years as Britain’s monarch, Queen Elizabeth has become known for her godly leadership and humble faith in the word of God; a pledge she made clear would mark her reign in her first Christmas speech in 1952.
“I want to ask all of you, regardless of your religion, to pray for me on that day, to pray that God will give me wisdom and strength to fulfill the solemn promises that I am about to make, and that I may serve faithfully. and you, all the days of my life.
In 2002, the Queen exalted the words of Christ: “For me, the teachings of Christ and my own personal responsibility before God provide a framework within which I try to live my life. Like many of you, I have drawn great comfort in difficult times from the words and example of Christ.
“[She was] a devout evangelical believer in the Bible,” Movieguide® founder Dr. Ted Baehr said of the Queen. “God bless the UK and see it through the years to come as Charles has shown no commitment to the biblical faith that has governed his life, but he has already drifted in the waves of cultural confusion. Charles was at Kings College Cambridge when I was there, and most of the teachers I studied with, including my personal teacher, whom I liked, were Marxists.
The Washington Post reported:
In her 90s, she maintained a rigorous schedule of events and appearances. They numbered more than 400 during its Diamond Jubilee year. His public life was defined by these duties, some seemingly insignificant, such as the distribution of symbolic alms, others clothed in pomp and pageantry – the opening of Parliament or the hosting of a state dinner.
To an outsider, such recurring events may seem superficial, but in their recurring nature, Charles said, they “help ground things” in a dynamic world and, moreover, thread the monarch through the tapestry of British life. .
Her role as queen defined Elizabeth’s life, but her unwavering dedication to work also defined the monarchy. Unlike her sister and several of her children, including Charles, she kept her personal life intact and avoided private scandals and public controversy. The prospect of abdicating – there were calls for such a move when his great-grandson and third direct heir, Prince George, was born in 2013 – was foreign to someone who did not cling to power, but on duty.
Dickie Arbiter, a former royal spokesman, said at the time that only Elizabeth’s piety would stop her: “She sees herself sworn to serve for life not only to the people, but to God.”
The paradox – and perhaps the greatest feat – of her reign was her ability to be so visibly dedicated for so long without revealing her inner self. “Of all the public figures in the world, she is the most private,” wrote veteran British journalist Bill Deedes on his 80th birthday.
Movieguide® has previously reported on the Queen’s life of quiet faith and unwavering duty to her country:
Robert Lacey, a royal historian, told People magazine that the Queen’s Christian faith plays a vital role in her reign.
“She sees it in the larger context of her religious faith and a God who has her family in her hands,” Lacey said. “It is the strong and simple faith that sustains the queen.”
Queen Elizabeth II has congratulated the team behind the classic BBC TV series, SONGS OF PRAISE, which recently celebrated its 60th anniversary.
“For 60 years, SONGS OF PRAISE has brought congregations and BBC viewers across the UK together in collective worship,” the Queen, 95, said in a pre-recorded message aired in the series’ latest episode. . “During this time, the program showed Christianity as a living faith not only through hymns and songs of worship, but also by showcasing the many people who have made their faith central to their lives.
“I congratulate SONGS OF PRAISE and everyone involved with the program on its 60th anniversary,” the monarch said.
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