World mourns death of Queen Elizabeth II
Britain’s longest serving monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, died overnight at the age of 96. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has joined the tributes
READING LEVEL: GREEN
The world is mourning* the loss of Queen Elizabeth II, who has died aged 96.
The longest-serving monarch* in history ruled for 70 years as the Queen of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, as well as the head of state of the Commonwealth, including Australia.
Her death follows that of her beloved husband, Prince Philip, in April 2021 at the age of 99, and the triumph of her platinum jubilee* in June.
The death of the much-loved monarch plunged Britain into mourning, with large crowds beginning to form outside the gates of Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle to lay flowers and offer sympathy to the royal family.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said that “a historic reign* and a long life devoted to duty, family, faith and service has come to an end”.
“Australian hearts go out to the people of the United Kingdom who mourn today, knowing they will feel they have lost part of what makes their nation whole,” he said in a statement.
“There is comfort to be found in Her Majesty’s own words: ‘Grief is the price we pay for love.’”
Mr Albanese praised the Queen’s support for Australia through more than half the life of our Federation*.
“From her famous first trip to Australia, the only reigning sovereign* to ever visit, it was clear Her Majesty held a special place in her heart for Australia,” Mr Albanese said.
“Fifteen more tours before cheering crowds in every part of our country confirmed the special place she held in ours.
“Today marks the end of an era, the close of the second Elizabethan age. This time of mourning will pass but the deep respect and warm regard in which Australians always held Her Majesty will never fade.
“She celebrated our good times, she stood with us in the bad. Happy and glorious but steadfast* too.
“In particular, we recall the sympathy and personal kindness she extended to Australians afflicted* by tragedy and disaster.
“Throughout it all, she was a monarch who let her humanity show, performing her duty with fidelity*, integrity* and humour.”
New British Prime Minister Liz Truss said the death of the Queen was “a huge shock to the nation and to the world”.
“Queen Elizabeth II was the rock on which modern Britain was built,” she said.
“In the difficult days ahead, we will come together with our friends – across the United Kingdom, the Commonwealth and the world – to celebrate her extraordinary lifetime of service.
“She was the very spirit of Great Britain – and that spirit will endure*. She has been our longest-ever reigning monarch. It is an extraordinary achievement to have presided* with such dignity* and grace for 70 years.”
The Queen’s eldest son, Charles, now becomes King Charles III. His wife, Camilla, will be known as Camilla, the Queen Consort.
Charles will also take over the Queen’s duties as commander-in-chief of the British armed forces, and head of the Church of England.
The Queen’s death came as a terrible shock to the British nation, which had been ruled by Her Majesty for an astounding seven decades. Flags across the nation were being flown at half-mast as the period of official mourning began.
During her long rule she overcame numerous personal tragedies and challenges with her famous stoicism*.
Born on April 21, 1926, Princess Elizabeth Alexandra Mary became Queen at the age of just 25 when her father, King George VI, died from lung cancer on February 6, 1952.
She was in a remote area in Kenya when her father died, on her way to represent him on a diplomatic* visit to Australia and New Zealand, and she didn’t find out until the next day that she had just become Queen.
GLOSSARY
- mourning: showing and feeling sadness because someone has died
- monarch: king or queen
- platinum jubilee: a celebration to mark a 70th anniversary
- reign: rule as monarch
- Federation: when Australia became its own nation on January 1, 1901
- sovereign: ruler, monarch
- steadfast: firmly fixed in place, not changing
- afflicted: affected by pain or trouble
- fidelity: loyalty and faithfulness to a person, group or organisation
- integrity: being honest and having strong values
- endure: remain in existence, last
- presided: have been in charge
- dignity: behaving in a calm, serious and controlled way that is worthy of respect
- stoicism: putting up with pain or hardship without complaining or showing your feelings
- diplomatic: to do with keeping good relations between governments of different countries
EXTRA READING
Party time to mark Queen’s historic reign
Young Aussies quite keen on Queen
New British PM Liz Truss sworn in
Queen tests positive to Covid-19
QUICK QUIZ
- How old was the Queen?
- How many years did she rule?
- What quote of the Queen’s did Prime Minister Anthony Albanese use in his tribute?
- Who replaces her as the monarch?
- How old was the Queen when she took the throne?
LISTEN TO THIS STORY
CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. News: condensed
Identify the most important pieces of information in this article and write a condensed version of it using 50 words or less.
Draw a picture or diagram to support your condensed news story.
Time: allow 25 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English; Science
2. Extension
Compare your condensed news story with a classmate. Did you both include the same information or are your stories quite different? Discuss your choices and then work together to create a final condensed version of the story that you both agree tells the important parts that a reader would need or want to know.
Time: allow 20 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English
VCOP ACTIVITY
Wow word recycle
There are plenty of wow words (ambitious pieces of vocabulary) being used in the article. Some are in the glossary, but there might be extra ones from the article that you think are exceptional as well.
Identify all the words in the article that you think are not common words, and particularly good choices for the writer to have chosen.
Select three words you have highlighted to recycle into your own sentences.
If any of the words you identified are not in the glossary, write up your own glossary for them.