At 3.30am local time, Buckingham Palace announced that Queen Elizabeth II had died peacefully at Balmoral, aged 96.
Her Majesty ruled for longer than any other Monarch in British history, having just celebrated her Platinum Jubilee earlier this year after 70 years of service. While we knew this day would come eventually, there was a surreal feeling as the news broke, as most of us haven’t known a time without The Queen.
On today’s episode of The Briefing, co-hosts Antoinette and Rhianna reflected on how they were feeling about the loss.
“The thing is, irrespective of your political views, or even as an Australian whether you feel it’s time for us to consider becoming a republic, she was this one constant point in a rapidly changing world… there was something comforting about her presence.”
Have a listen:
Celebrating the monarchy can be complicated, especially for First Nations Australians, and the death of Queen Elizabeth II will be the catalyst for conversations about where we go from here as a nation.
It is the end of an era, with many changes expected to take place over the coming weeks.
The Queen’s funeral is due to take place in 10 days, as part of what’s known as Operation Lion.
So what does this mean now for Australians?
Federal parliament will be suspended for 15 days, and a national day of mourning will be arranged.
Rhianna explains what we can expect to happen next:
Catch up on more episodes of The Briefing below, or on the free LiSTNR app.