One year later, prayers and cannon shots in memory of Elizabeth II

September 8, 2023

One after the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth II and his accession to the throne, King Charles III prayed religiously and cannon fire rang out across the United Kingdom on Friday to mark this change of era.

No large public event was planned to commemorate the death of Queen Elizabeth II at age 96 on September 8, 2022 at her Balmoral Castle in Scotland, where she traditionally spent her summers.

In the morning, his heir, dressed in a red tartan kilt, and his wife, Queen Camilla, who are currently staying at Balmoral, went to the small parish church of Chratie Kirk, where the royal family has had their habits since the time of Queen Victoria.

They attended a prayer and exchanged a few words with the estate employees gathered around the church.

“It’s a sad day,” Ross Nichol, a 22-year-old student present at the scene and who saw the funeral procession pass by last year, told AFP.

“She did a lot of good things and held an important place in the world,” said Nicole Hoppe, a tourist from Munich.

Charles III released a short message to thank the public for their support and pay further tribute to his mother: “We remember with great affection her long life, her dedicated services and all that she represented for many of us.”

“We all miss you,” wrote Prince William, heir to the crown, and his wife Kate on X (formerly Twitter), saluting the “extraordinary life” and “legacy” left by the queen.

The very popular couple attended a short private mass at St. Davids Cathedral in Wales, where dozens of people gathered to greet them.

Prince Harry, currently in the United Kingdom for a charity event, was seen leaving St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle where the Queen is buried.

This first anniversary should not, however, be the occasion for a reconciliation between the Duke of Sussex, who now lives in California with his wife Meghan and their two children, and the rest of the royal family, in particular his brother William, whom he panned in his memoirs.

At midday, cannon shots were fired from Hyde Park and the Tower of London, as well as in Belfast and Edinburgh, and the bells of Westminster Abbey rang out. Visitors came to leave bouquets of flowers in front of the gates of Buckingham Palace.

It was there that just a year ago, at the end of the afternoon, the flag overlooking the building was lowered to half-mast, announcing to the gathered crowd the death of the sovereign whose popularity far exceeded the UK borders.

A period of national mourning began during which hundreds of thousands of British people waited for dozens of hours to watch over the coffin of the sovereign, whose longevity was unequaled for a British monarch.

A page was turning for the United Kingdom and the 14 other Nations of which the British sovereign is the head of state, with the accession to the throne of Charles III, already aged (currently 74 years old).

The government revealed a few days ago that a plan for a “permanent memorial” would be unveiled in 2026, the centenary of the birth of Elizabeth II.

After a lifetime of waiting his turn, the past year has been full of firsts for the new monarch. He notably appointed a Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, delivered his first Christmas speech, and made his first state visit abroad, to Germany, before France at the end of September. He received heads of state, notably the American Joe Biden and the Ukrainian Volodymyr Zelensky.

Less popular than Elizabeth II was, the king also saw demonstrations hostile to the monarchy rise during his travels in the country, notably during his coronation on May 6.

However, according to a recent YouGov poll, 59% of Britons believe the king is doing a “good job”, compared to 17% who think the opposite.