The King has given a moving tribute to his “darling Mama” the Queen in his first public broadcast as monarch, as he promised to continue her “lifelong service” to the country.
Ending his address, the new monarch said: “To my darling Mama, as you begin your last great journey to join my dear late Papa, I want simply to say this: thank you.
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“Thank you for your love and devotion to our family and to the family of nations you have served so diligently all these years. May ‘flights of Angels sing thee to thy rest’.”
The King pledged his whole life as service as the new sovereign just as the Queen did, saying: “That promise of lifelong service I renew to you all today”.
King Charles III delivers his address to the nation and the Commonwealth from Buckingham Palace, London, following the death of Queen Elizabeth II on Thursday.
And he paid tribute to his “darling wife” Camilla – calling her “my Queen Consort”, saying he can “count on her loving help”.
The King also set out his changing role, as he steps away from his considerable charity work which shaped his life as the heir to the throne.
“My life will of course change as I take up my new responsibilities. It will no longer be possible for me to give so much of my time and energies to the charities and issues for which I care so deeply. But I know this important work will go on in the trusted hands of others,” he said.
The monarch pre-recorded the lengthy speech, which was just under 1,000 words and lasted around nine-and-a-half minutes in the Blue Drawing Room of the royal residence in central London, and it was played out at 6pm on Friday.
Charles said of his “beloved mother” the late Elizabeth II: “We owe her the most heartfelt debt any family can owe to their mother; for her love, affection, guidance, understanding and example”.
The donkey has shaped the history of humankind, both as a source of power for farm work, and of transportation in sometimes hard to reach areas.
To understand the history of the donkey’s domestication, teams at the Centre for Anthropobiology and Genomics of Toulouse (CNRS/ Université Toulouse 3 Paul Sabatier) and scientists1 from 37 laboratories around the world worked together to build and analyse the most complete panel of genomes ever studied for this animal. It contains the genomes of 207 contemporary donkeys living on all continents, as well as those of 31 early donkeys and 15 wild equids. In an article published on 9 September in Science, the researchers reveal that the donkey was first domesticated in Africa in 5,000 B.C.E, around the time when the Sahara became the desert region we know today.
It was only 2,500 years later that donkeys left their place of origin in Africa and reached Europe and Asia, where this species developed lineages that, in some cases, still exist today.
By analysing archaeological remains, scientists also uncovered evidence of a previously unknown genetic lineage of donkeys that lived in the Levant 2,000 years ago. Furthermore, the influence of this lineage is thought to extend far beyond the region, and still today, fragments of its genetic heritage can be found throughout Europe. These discoveries call for new archaeological digs to find the initial source of domestication in Africa, as well as the sequencing of other early donkey genomes on both shores of the Mediterranean sea, to better understand the role of this animal in the history of trade between Europe and North Africa.
1 The following French laboratories contributed to this study: Genoscope, François Jacob institute of biology (CNRS/CEA/Univ. D’Every-Val-d’Essonne), Archéorient laboratory (CNRS/Univ. Lumière Lyon 2), l’Institut de Paléontologie Humaine (CNRS/Museum d’histoire naturelle/Univ. De Perpignan via domitia), le laboratoire Archéologie des sociétés méditerranéennes (CNRS/Ministère de la culture/Univ. Paul Valery Montpellier). This work received support from the GeT-PlaGe and Genoscope platforms, members of the France Génomique infrastructure (BUCÉPHALE and MARENGO project), and numerous financial supports, in particular from ), the French National Research Agency (ANR-10-INBS 09), for funding from the CNRS (AnimalFarm IRP), and from the European Union, including from the European Research Council PEGASUS programme.
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“I campaigned as a Conservative and I will govern as a Conservative,” she said. “We need to deliver over the next two years.”
She celebrated her victory by having lunch with her husband, Hugh O’Leary.
It was to be her last moment of relaxation for some time.
Exit Boris, Enter Liz
On Tuesday morning, Boris Johnson left 10 Downing Street for the last time as prime minister, travelling to Balmoral to hand in his resignation to the Queen.
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Before his departure, in a speech outside the famous black door, he took one final swipe at the Tory MPs who had forced him from office less than three years after he led them to a thumping election victory.
“The baton will be handed over in what has unexpectedly turned out to be a relay race. They changed the rules halfway through, but never mind that now.”
As soon as his private plane landed at Aberdeen airport, the government jet carrying Truss north for her own audience with the 96-year-old monarch took off from RAF Northolt.
In what was to be her first and last meeting with the Queen as prime minister, Truss was invited to form a government.
Standing outside No.10 a few hours later, she echoed Winston Churchill as she vowed to take “action this day” to tackle the cost of living crisis.
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“I am confident that together we can ride out the storm, we can rebuild our economy and we can become the modern, brilliant Britain that I know we can be,” she said.
“This is our vital mission to ensure opportunity and prosperity for all people and future generations. I am determined to deliver.”
The Queen invites Liz Truss to form a government during an audience at Balmoral.
Jane Barlow via PA Wire/PA Images
In Liz they Truss-t
By her own admission, Truss is not a great public speaker, so expectations were not high ahead of her first prime minister’s questions.
And while she did not scale the rhetorical heights of her predecessor, she more than held her own against Labour leader Keir Starmer, earning her the loud approval of her sceptical MPs.
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She also managed to make a clean break from the Johnson era by giving straight answer to his questions, especially when he asked her whether she would bring in a new windfall tax on energy firms’ huge profits.
Truss said the UK couldn’t “tax its way to growth”, adding: “The way we will grow our economy is by attracting investment, keeping taxes low, delivering the reforms to build projects quicker.”
The bad news breaks
Rumours about the Queen’s health were already swirling at Westminster on Thursday morning ahead of the PM’s announcement that the energy price cap was being frozen at £2,500 for the next two years.
Shortly after Truss had made the announcement in the Commons, she was seen in deep conversation with Cabinet Office minister Nadhim Zahawi, while a note was also passed to Keir Starmer. The atmosphere in the chamber noticeably darkened as MPs’ thoughts turned to the monarch’s wellbeing.
Within the hour, Truss was outside 10 Downing Street, standing at the same spot and behind the same lectern where she had addressed the nation for the first time as prime minister barely 48 hours before.
This time, she was leading the nation’s response to the news that the monarch had died after 70 years on the throne.
“Queen Elizabeth II was the rock on which modern Britain was built,” she said. “Our country has grown and flourished under her reign. Britain is the great country it is today because of her.”
King Charles III during his first audience with Liz Truss at Buckingham Palace.
Yui Mok via PA Wire/PA Images
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God save the King
Truss had her first audience with King Charles III this afternoon at Buckingham Palace, just three days after accepting his late mother’s invitation to form a new government.
Of his mother’s death, he said: “It’s the moment I’d been dreading, as I know a lot of people have. But, have to try and keep everything going.”
No matter what the rest of her time in office brings, it is highly unlikely that it will match the intensity and national significance of her first week as prime minister.
Scientists have known that sex-determination in vertebrates happens in the germ cells, a body’s reproductive cells, and the somatic cells, the cells that are not reproductive cells. Yet they have not fully understood the mechanisms by which it happens. To better grasp the process of the germ cell’s sex determination, a research team has analyzed germ cells in chickens using RNA-sequencing to predict the mechanism that determines the sex. Their study provides insight into the mechanism of sex determination in birds.
The Hiroshima University research team published their findings in the journal Scientific Reports, a Nature publication, on August 17, 2022.
“While previous studies have demonstrated that chicken primordial germ cells possess a characteristic feature in sex determination, its mechanism remains unclear. To solve this challenge, we revealed gene expression profiles of male and female primordial germ cells derived from early chick embryos and then predicted the sex determination mechanism,” said Kennosuke Ichikawa, a postdoctoral researcher at the Genome Editing Innovation Center, Hiroshima University. This research is the first to predict the sex-determination mechanism by comparing the gene expression profiles of avian primordial germ cells at each embryonic stage, as well as by using a stimulation test.
Birds have unique mechanisms of sex determination, that are different from mammals. In mammals, which have an XX (female) — XY (male) sex chromosome system, their sex determination depends on the action of the Y-chromosome. In birds, which have a ZZ (male) — ZW (female) sex chromosome system, their sex depends on the action of the Z chromosome. Yet the molecular mechanism of sex determination remains unclear. The development of the reproductive glands called gonads, into either ovaries or testes, and the development of other sexual characteristics are at least partially cell autonomous. The researchers’ investigation of the sex-determination mechanism in birds provides them insight into the evolution of vertebrate sex-determining mechanisms.
To investigate the mechanisms underlying sex determination in avian germ cells, the team purified male and female primordial germ cells from the blood and the gonads, using fluorescence-activated cell sorting. With this process they achieved a purity of greater than 96 percent. They determined gene expression profiles of the primordial germ cells at each developmental stage for each sex using RNA-sequencing analysis, where next-generation sequencing is used to examine the quantity and sequences of RNA in a sample. Then, the researchers predicted the sex-determination mechanism of the primordial germ cells using bioinformatic analysis, where computer tools are used to understand biological data. To evaluate the prediction, they stimulated male primordial germ cells with retinoic acid in vitro, and examined the changes in gene expression.
Before settling in the gonads, the female circulating primordial germ cells obtained from blood displayed sex-biased expression. The primordial germ cells from the gonads also exhibited sex-biased expression, and the number of female-biased genes detected was higher than that of male-biased genes. The team realized that the female-biased genes in the primordial germ cells were enriched in some metabolic processes. To reveal the mechanisms underlying this process, the researchers performed stimulation tests.
The team used retinoic acid to stimulate the cultured primordial germ cells collected from male embryos. This stimulation resulted in the upregulation — the process where a cell’s components increase — of several female-biased genes. Overall, their results suggest that sex determination in avian primordial germ cells involves aspects of both cell-autonomous and somatic-cell regulation. Moreover, it appears that sex determination occurs earlier in females than in males.
“We successfully predicted female-specific potential processes and pathways in chicken primordial germ cells. We believe our data set can significantly contribute to elucidating the avian sex determination mechanism,” said Ichikawa.
Looking ahead to future work, the team plans to use the data set to identify the key molecules directly inducing the feminization of chicken primordial germ cells. “The ultimate goal of this study is to elucidate the sex determination mechanism and then establish a sex selection method in chickens using genome editing targeting the key molecules,” said Ichikawa.
Entanglement is a strange phenomenon in quantum physics where two particles are inherently connected to each other no matter the distance between them. When one is measured, the other measurement is instantly a given. Researchers from Purdue University have proposed a novel, unconventional approach to generate a special light source made up of entangled photons. On Sept. 6, 2022, they published their findings in Physical Review Research.
The team proposed a method to generate entangled photons at extreme-ultraviolet (XUV) wavelengths where no such source currently exists. Their work provides a road map on how to generate these entangled photons and use them to track the dynamics of electrons in molecules and materials on the incredibly short timescales of attoseconds.
“The entangled photons in our work are guaranteed to arrive at a given location within a very short duration of attoseconds, as long as they travel the same distance,” says Dr. Niranjan Shivaram, assistant professor of Physics and Astronomy. “This correlation in their arrival time makes them very useful to measure ultrafast events. One important application is in attosecond metrology to push the limits of measurement of the shortest time scale phenomena. This source of entangled photons can also be used in quantum imaging and spectroscopy, where entangled photons have been shown to enhance the ability to gain information, but now at XUV and even X-ray wavelengths.”
The authors of the publication, titled “Attosecond entangled photons from two-photon decay of metastable atoms: A source for attosecond experiments and beyond,” are all from the Purdue University Department of Physics and Astronomy and work with the Purdue Quantum Science and Engineering Institute (PQSEI). They are Dr. Yimeng Wang, recent graduate of Purdue University; Siddhant Pandey, PhD candidate in the field of experimental ultrafast spectroscopy; Dr. Chris H. Greene, Albert Overhauser Distinguished Professor of Physics and Astronomy; and Dr. Shivaram.
“The Department of Physics and Astronomy at Purdue has a strong atomic, molecular and optical (AMO) physics program, which brings together experts in various subfields of AMO,” says Shivaram. “Chris Greene’s expert knowledge of theoretical atomic physics combined with Niranjan’s background in the relatively young field of experimental attosecond science led to this collaborative project. While many Universities have AMO programs, Purdue’s AMO program is uniquely diverse in that it has experts in multiple subfields of AMO science.”
Each researcher played a significant role in this ongoing research. Greene initially suggested the idea of using photons emitted by helium atoms as a source of entangled photons and Shivaram suggested applications to attosecond science and proposed experimental schemes. Wang and Greene then developed the theoretical framework to calculate entangled photon emission from helium atoms, while Pandey and Shivaram made estimates of entangled photon emission/absorption rates and worked out the details of the proposed attosecond experimental schemes.
The publication marks the beginning of this research for Shivaram and Greene. In this publication, the authors propose the idea and work out the theoretical aspects of the experiment. Shivaram and Greene plan to continue to collaborate on experimental and further theoretical ideas. Shivaram’s lab, the Ultrafast Quantum Dynamics Group, is currently building an apparatus to experimentally demonstrate some of these ideas. According to Shivaram, the hope is that other researchers in attosecond science will begin working on these ideas. A concerted effort by many research groups could further increase the impact of this work. Eventually, they hope to get the timescale of entangled photons down to the zeptosecond, 10-21 seconds.
“Typically, experiments on attosecond timescales are performed using attosecond laser pulses as ‘strobes’ to ‘image’ the electrons. Current limits on these pulses are around 40 attoseconds. Our proposed idea of using entangled photons could push this down to a few attoseconds or zeptoseconds,” says Shivaram.
In order to understand the timing, one must understand that electrons play a fundamental role in determining the behavior of atoms, molecules and solid materials. The timescale of motion of electrons is typically in the femtosecond (one millionth of a billionth of a second — 10-15 seconds) and attosecond (one billionth of a billionth of a second, or 10-18 seconds) scale. According to Shivaram, gaining insight into the dynamics of electrons and tracking their motion on these ultrashort timescales is essential.
“The goal of the field of ultrafast science is to make such ‘movies’ of electrons and then use light to control the behavior of these electrons to engineer chemical reactions, make materials with novel properties, make molecular-scale devices, etc.,” he says. “This is light-matter interaction at its most basic level, and the possibilities for discovery are many. A single zeptosecond is 10-21 seconds. A thousand zeptoseconds is an attosecond. Researchers are only now beginning to explore zeptosecond phenomena, though it is experimentally out of reach due to lack of zeptosecond laser pulses. Our unique approach of using entangled photons instead of photons in laser pulses could allow us to reach the zeptosecond regime. This will require considerable experimental effort and is likely possible on the timescale of five years.”
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Materials provided by Purdue University. Original written by Cheryl Pierce. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.
The Ukrainian president joined the likes of US president Joe Biden and French leader Emmanuel Macron in offering their condolences.
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Writing on Twitter, Zelenskyy said: “It is with deep sadness that we learned of the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
“On behalf of the Ukrainian people, we extend sincere condolences to the entire United Kingdom and the Commonwealth over this irreparable loss. Our thoughts and prayers are with you.”
Biden said the Queen had been “a stateswoman of unmatched dignity and constancy” who “helped make our relationship special”.
He added: “In the years ahead, we look forward to continuing a close friendship with The King and The Queen Consort.
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“Today, the thoughts and prayers of people all across the United States are with the people of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth in their grief.
“We send our deepest condolences to the Royal Family, who are not only mourning their Queen, but their dear mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother.
“Her legacy will loom large in the pages of British history, and in the story of our world.”
French president Macron said the Queen “embodied the British nation’s continuity and unity for over 70 years”.
He added: “I remember her as a friend of France, a kind-hearted queen who has left a lasting impression on her country and her century.”
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II embodied the British nation’s continuity and unity for over 70 years. I remember her as a friend of France, a kind-hearted queen who has left a lasting impression on her country and her century.
Justine Trudeau, Canada’s prime minister, tweeted: “It was with the heaviest of hearts that we learned of the passing of Canada’s longest-reigning Sovereign, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
“She was a constant presence in our lives – and her service to Canadians will forever remain an important part of our country’s history.
“As we look back at her life and her reign that spanned so many decades, Canadians will always remember and cherish Her Majesty’s wisdom, compassion, and warmth.
“Our thoughts are with the members of the Royal Family during this most difficult time.”
’She was our queen for almost half of Canada’s existence’ — Listen to Canadian PM Justin Trudeau’s full statement on the death of Queen Elizabeth II pic.twitter.com/YlAaCgbJxU
Maltese leader Robert Abela said his country “joins the rest of the world in mourning the death of HM The Queen Elizabeth II”.
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“As monarch and Head of the Commonwealth, she was loved by all. We will always remember her fondly, especially living here as a young princess. My condolences to the Royal Family.”
In a statement issued this afternoon, Buckingham Palace confirmed that the Queen died “peacefully” at Balmoral.
She has already been succeeded as monarch by her son, who will be known as King Charles III.
Speaking on the steps of Downing Street, new prime minister Liz Truss said: “We offer him our loyalty and devotion, just as his mother devoted so much, to so many, for so long.
“And with the passing of the second Elizabethan age, we usher in a new era in the magnificent history of our great country, exactly as Her Majesty would have wished, by saying the words ‘God save the King’.”
Truss said: “We are all devastated by the news we have just heard from Balmoral. The death of her Majesty the Queen is a huge shock to the nation and to the world.
“Queen Elizabeth II was the rock on which modern Britain was built. Our country has grown and flourished under her reign. Britain is the great country it is today because of her.”
Truss said the UK was now “a modern, thriving, dynamic nation” as a result of the Queen’s 70-year reign.
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“Through thick and thin, Queen Elizabeth II provided us with the stability and the strength that we needed,” she said. “She was the very spirit of Great Britain and that spirit will endure.”
The PM said the late monarch had been “a personal inspiration to me and to many Britons – her devotion to duty is an example to us all”.
And she added: “In the difficult says ahead, we will come together with our friends across the United Kingdom, the Commonwealth and the world to celebrate her extra ordinary lifetime of service.
“It is a day of great loss, but Queen Elizabeth II leaves a great legacy.”
In his own tribute on Twitter, Johnson said: “This is our country’s saddest day,”
“We think of her deep wisdom, and historic understanding, and her seemingly inexhaustible but understated sense of duty,” he said.
“Relentless though her diary must have felt, she never once let it show, and to tens of thousands of events – great and small – she brought her smile and her warmth and her gentle humour – and for an unrivalled 70 years she spread that magic around her kingdom.
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“This is our country’s saddest day because she had a unique and simple power to make us happy. That is why we loved her.
“That is why we grieve for Elizabeth the Great, the longest serving and in many ways the finest monarch in our history.”
Labour leader Keir Starmer said the country would mourn “the passing of a remarkable sovereign”.
He said: “We will always treasure Queen Elizabeth II’s life of service and devotion to our nation and the Commonwealth; our longest-serving and greatest monarch.”
Commons Speaker Lindsay Hoyle tweeted: “Few of us in the House of Commons have ever known a time when Her Majesty was not there, so her passing has left a huge hole in our lives.
“She was our equilibrium, our history, our guide and our Queen – and we will miss her beyond measure.”
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Scottish first minister Nicola Sturgeon tweeted: “The death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth is a profoundly sad moment for the UK, the Commonwealth and the world.
“Her life was one of extraordinary dedication and service. On behalf of the people of Scotland, I convey my deepest condolences to The King and the Royal Family.”
Former prime minister Tony Blair said the Queen “was not only respected but loved”.
“Respected because of the qualities of duty, decency, integrity and fidelity which she embodied,” he said. “And loved because of the love and affection she bestowed on us.”
Lib Dem leader Ed Davey said: “We are all deeply mourning the profound loss of a great monarch, who served our country so faithfully all her life and who was loved the world over.
“For many people, including myself, The Queen was an ever-fixed mark in our lives. As the world changed around us and politicians came and went, The Queen was our nation’s constant.
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“The Queen represented duty and courage, as well as warmth and compassion. She was a living reminder of our collective past, of the greatest generation and their sacrifices for our freedom.”
Meanwhile, RMT general secretary Mick Lynch announced that the rail strikes planned for September 15 and 17 have been suspended following the Queen’s death.
He said: “The RMT joins the whole nation in paying its respects to Queen Elizabeth.
“The planned railway strike action on 15 and 17 September is suspended. We express our deepest condolences to her family, friends and the country.”
Queen Elizabeth II has died aged 96, Buckingham Palace has confirmed.
In a statement, the Palace said: “The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon. The King and The Queen Consort will remain at Balmoral this evening and will return to London tomorrow.”
Prince Charles, who is the heir apparent, was with her.
It comes shortly after the UK’s longest-reigning monarch celebrated her 70th year on the throne, her platinum jubilee.
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The whole country came together to honour the occasion across the extended bank holiday, paying tribute to her unprecedented reign through Trooping the Colour, a service of Thanksgiving and Big Jubilee Lunches up and down the UK.
The Queen was also a reassuring presence for many as the country tried to cope with successive lockdowns, despite catching Covid herself in February 2022.
In her 2020 Christmas message she praised the efforts of individuals and called on the nation to “remain united and resolute” in the face of the outbreak. And in a poignant video to mark the 75th anniversary of VE day in 2020, she delivered a message of hope, promising in the words of Dame Vera Lynn’s wartime anthem: “We will meet again.”
The royal family also grieved in April 2021, when the Queen’s husband of 73 years, Prince Philip, died. The entire ‘Firm’ followed Covid restrictions and sat apart in their bubbles at the televised funeral – meaning the Queen had to sit on her own.
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The Queen was widely praised for returning to her royal duties after just a two-week mourning period for the Duke of Edinburgh, who she referred to as her “strength and stay”.
The news of her death marks the end of a new Elizabethan era that began when the 25-year-old princess became Queen Elizabeth II on the death of her father King George VI, in the early hours of February 6, 1952.
She became the longest-ever reigning monarch in British history on September 9, 2015, bypassing the record set by her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria. This took into account 63 years plus 16 leap days, additional months and days, and the timing of George VI’s death.
Princess Elizabeth waves from her carriage in London in 1928
The Queen Mother (then the Duchess of York) with her husband, King George VI (then the Duke of York), and their daughter Elizabeth II at her christening in May 1926
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With the death of 88-year-old King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand in 2016, the Queen then took the record for the world’s longest reigning living monarch.
She is the world’s second-longest reigning monarch ever, after French King Louis XIV, who served on the throne for more than 72 years.
Princess Elizabeth Alexandra Mary was born by Caesarian section on April 21, 1926, in her maternal grandparents’ London home: 17 Bruton Street, Mayfair, while the home secretary Sir William Joynson-Hicks waited in the next room.
The presence of the government minister was an age-old custom designed to ensure that no substitute had been smuggled in hidden in a warming pan or similar receptacle. Apparently one of Princess Elizabeth’s first acts was to yawn at Sir William.
Elizabeth’s father, George VI, only became king after the abdication of his brother Edward VIII in 1936 – when she was born, the princess was not expected to take the throne.
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She married Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten of Greece at the age of 21 at Westminster Abbey in 1947 in front of 2,000 guests. Princess Elizabeth was dressed in an ivory silk Norman Hartnell gown, decorated with 10,000 seed pearls, glittering crystals and an intricate 13ft (4m) star-patterned train. The dress was bought with food rationing coupons as the UK was still struggling in the aftermath of World War 2. Philip, 26, was fresh from serving in the Royal Navy for the war effort.
Princess Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh on their wedding day in 1947
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Prince Philip and the Queen for their Diamond Wedding Anniversary in 2007
Tim Graham via Tim Graham/Getty Images
Another 200 million people listened to the radio broadcast of the nuptials and thousands lined the streets to watch the spectacle.
The pair had begun exchanging letters in 1939 when Elizabeth was 13 and Philip was 18, and their friendship blossomed over the years.
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After their wedding, the couple lived together on the island of Malta for periods between 1949 and 1951 while the duke served on HMS Chequers with the Mediterranean Fleet.
Villa Guardamangia, a palazzo-style mansion on the outskirts of the capital Valletta, served as a much-loved base for the couple in the early years of their marriage. Their stay in Malta offered them their only real taste of life as a relatively ordinary couple.
They enjoyed parties, picnics and boat expeditions, and the princess was even able to take a trip to the hairdresser for the first time. In 2015 during an official trip, the Queen recalled: “Visiting Malta is always very special for me. I remember happy days here with Prince Philip when we were first married.”
Princess Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh, celebrating the her 24th birthday at Villa Guardamangia, Malta
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Princess Elizabeth was staying in an exclusive tree house hotel in Kenya in 1952 when she was informed of her father’s death.
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Former lady-in-waiting Pamela Hicks recalled: “She goes up as a princess. The king died that night. She comes down the ladder as a queen.”
Prince Philip was told the news first, and covered his face with his newspaper, murmuring “this will be such a shock”, before taking her for a walk in the gardens, where he told his young wife of her father’s death and that she was now to be Queen.
Treetops Hotel, in Kenya – it was here that Princess Elizabeth learned of the death of her father, King George VI
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Elizabeth II sets foot on British soil for the first time since her accession as she lands in Britain, following the death of her father. Waiting for her at the bottom of the plane steps are Clement Attlee and then prime minister Winston Churchill
The couple’s children, Prince Charles, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward, were born between 1948 and 1964, all at Buckingham Palace.
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Charles’ birth on November 14, 1948, was the first in centuries without a government minister present to witness the arrival of a future heir to the throne. The occasion was marked publicly with the fountains of Trafalgar Square lit up in blue. The Duke of Edinburgh, said to be “not indifferent but restless”, played squash while his wife was in labour.
As Victoria had done the previous century, Elizabeth acted as a figure of continuity as the country modernised. Serving through the 20th century, the Millennium and well into the 21st century, she was also head of state, the armed forces and the commonwealth.
She witnessed many new technological advances and a succession of British governments of different political persuasions.
Elizabeth II met every US president of her reign – except one.
Queen Elizabeth II and baby Prince Charles at Buckingham Palace in 1948
President John Kennedy with his wife Jackie, meeting the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh at Buckingham Palace in London, 1961
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US President Ronald Reagan goes riding in Windsor Home Park with the Queen
Lyndon B Johnson, who took over in 1963 following John F Kennedy’s assassination, never crossed paths with the Queen. By contrast, president Donald Trump, who visited Britain three times during her reign, boasted about having “automatic chemistry” with her and praised her as a “spectacular woman”.
Current President Joe Biden took office in January 2021, and made his first official visit overseas to visit the UK – and its monarch – in June.
The Queen had become accustomed to milestones during her decades on the throne. In December 2007, she became the longest living British monarch, overtaking Victoria who died when she was 81, and in May 2011, she became the second-longest reigning monarch in British history, when she overtook George III.
According to Guinness World Records, the Queen also held the world record for most currencies featuring the same person.
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Her Diamond Jubilee river pageant in 2012 set a new world record for the number of boats in a parade with more than 1,000 vessels taking part and 670 making the complete trip down the Thames to Tower Bridge.
Princess Diana with Queen Elizabeth II on the Queen Mother’s 87th Birthday, at Clarence House, in 1987
The Queen and Prince Philip during the Diamond Jubilee River Pageant in 2012
The monarch’s “second birthday” – that is, the official celebration – was marked on the second Saturday in June each year, commemorated with the Trooping the Colour parade. The double birthday tradition was introduced in 1748 by King George II, who was born in November – a time where the UK weather was typically dreary. Wanting a big public celebration, the king decided to hold a birthday parade in the sunnier months and to combine it with an annual military parade.
The Queen was also the first British monarch to send an email, to have a message put on the moon, to conduct a royal “walkabout” and to hold a public concert in her back garden.
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Each year, without fail, the Queen would retreat to Balmoral in Aberdeenshire during the summer months, where she is said to have been happiest. It was her private home and was handed down to her through generations of royals after being bought for Queen Victoria by Prince Albert in 1852.
Baby Prince Andrew perches on Prince Philip’s lap during a picnic on the grounds of Balmoral Castle. Also pictured are Queen Elizabeth, Prince Charles, and Princess Anne
The Queen at Balmoral Castle with some of her beloved dogs in 1952
Victoria described Balmoral as her “heaven on Earth” and it was where she sought solace after Albert’s death. Queen Elizabeth’s usual two-month stay in August and September traditionally included a visit to the nearby Braemar Gathering, where she was chieftain of the Highland games.
Princess Eugenie, the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh’s granddaughter, once described Balmoral as the most beautiful place on the planet.
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“Walks, picnics, dogs – a lot of dogs, there’s always dogs – and people coming in and out all the time,” she said.
“It’s a lovely base for granny and grandpa, for us to come and see them up there; where you just have room to breathe and run.”
Years of happy royal memories were forged at Balmoral, including family barbecues – where Philip did the cooking and the Queen the washing-up – and each morning a lone piper would play below the Queen’s bedroom window.
In recent times, the Queen had endured the biggest crisis the royal family had faced in years after her supposed “favourite son” Prince Andrew gave a television interview about his friendship with late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
It triggered a public outcry, and it was decided in an unprecedented move for Andrew to step back from public duties for the “foreseeable future”. Andrew kept a low profile but fell back into the spotlight when one of Epstein’s alleged victims started a civil case against him.
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And in early 2020, her grandson Harry and his new wife, the actress Meghan Markle, sparked a major royal crisis when they made a decision to step down as senior royals for personal and financial freedom, in a move that was dubbed by the media as Megxit.
The Queen did not comment on either matter publicly.
She had previously dubbed 1992 her “annus horribilis”, following a series of scandals involving her children.
Prince Charles separated from Diana, his first wife; the Princess Royal divorced; and Andrew’s newly estranged wife Sarah Ferguson appeared in the tabloids topless and having her toes sucked.
That year also saw public opinion turn against the royals amid fears that taxpayers would have to foot the bill for repairs to Windsor Castle after a fire. In the end, the Queen agreed to pay 70% of the £36.5 million costs by opening Buckingham Palace to the public for the first time to generate extra income.
It was also announced that she would pay income tax for the first time and cut down the size of the Civil List.
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The Queen surveying the scene at Windsor Castle following the fire in 1992
The Queen at 10 Downing Street at a farewell dinner for retiring prime minister Harold Wilson
With a reign spanning many British governments under 15 prime ministers and dozens more in the Commonwealth, the Queen did not escape constitutional difficulties over the years.
She officially accepted Johnson’s resignation just two days before her death and invited his successor, newly-elected Tory leader Liz Truss, to form a government.
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However, the Queen’s dedicated attention to her constitutional functions has been commented upon by many of her prime ministers.
Politicians knew they ought not go to Buckingham Palace unless fully prepared.
Harold Wilson once confessed that he felt like a schoolboy who had not done his homework when the Queen cited a document which he had not read.
In the documentary Elizabeth R, filmed in 1992 to mark her 40th year on the throne, the Queen gave her view on the importance of her meetings with her prime ministers.
“They unburden themselves or tell me what is going on or if they have any problems, and sometimes I can help in some way as well,” she said.
“They know I can be impartial and it is rather nice to feel one is a sponge.
“Occasionally one can put one’s point of view and perhaps they have not seen it from that angle.”
As head of state, the Queen was politically neutral and acted on the advice of her government in political matters, but her political knowledge was known to be immense.
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She rarely voiced her thoughts on current affairs but was occasionally caught on camera revealing her real opinions, such as when she expressed her frustration with world leaders who “talk but don’t do” when it comes to the climate crisis.
She received weekly briefings from the prime minister of the day and dozens of government documents passed across her desk every week for formal approval.
The Queen is survived by her four children – Charles, Anne, Andrew and Edward – and her 20 grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
The Queen and Prince Philip seated on thrones in the House of Lords at the state opening of parliament in 2013
The Queen at the wedding of her grandson Prince Harry to American actress Meghan Markle in May 2018
Researchers from the University of Georgiahave discovered a potential treatment for Chagas disease, marking the first medication with promise to successfully and safely target the parasitic infection in more than 50 years.
Human clinical trials of the drug, an antiparasitic compound known as AN15368, will hopefully begin in the next few years.
“I’m very optimistic,” said Rick Tarleton, corresponding author of the study and a UGA Athletic Association Distinguished Professor in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences. “I think it has a really strong chance of being a real solution, not just a stand-in for something that works better than the drugs we currently have.”
The new drug works by targeting the parasite that causes the disease, Trypanosoma cruzi, also known as T. cruzi.
Nearly all people infected with the parasite experience flu-like symptoms such as fever, headaches and vomiting. However, after their immune response kicks in, their symptoms may subside.
But for 30% to 40% of patients, the infection can result in severe heart damage that can be both debilitating and life-threatening.
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New drug is 100% effective in eliminating T. cruzi
Published in Nature Microbiology, the study found the new medication was 100% effective in curing mice, as well as non-human primates that were naturally infected by the parasite at a research facility in Texas. The animals also experienced no significant side effects from exposure to the drug.
Over the past several decades, previous treatment candidates went straight from experimental infections in mice to human clinical trials, where they failed to cure the infection. The new drug’s efficacy in non-human primates bodes well for how it will perform in humans.
“We’ve got something that is as close to effective as it can be in what is as close to a human as it could be, and there aren’t any side effects. That really de-risks it by a lot going into humans,” Tarleton said. “It doesn’t make it fail-safe, but it moves it much further along.”
Current medications to treat T. cruzi infection not ideal
T. cruzi is carried by blood-sucking insects known as kissing bugs. The insects can be found throughout North, Central and South America.
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In addition to a nasty bite, the creatures carry the T. cruzi parasite, which is transmitted through their fecal matter. Victims can become infected when they unknowingly rub the insect’s feces into their eyes, nose or an open wound.
The infection may also be transmitted through organ transplants, from a pregnant person to their fetus or through contaminated food. However, infections from these pathways are less common.
The go-to medications used to treat Chagas aren’t terrible, Tarleton said, but they’re not ideal. They can pack some serious side effects and they’re not reliably effective, but they’re currently the only treatment option.
Patients also have to take the drugs for two months. And even the common but mild side effects like headache or nausea get old after a few weeks. As a result, about one in five people being treated for the disease stop taking their medications before they have a chance to cure the infection.
“Plus they have variable efficacy, and it’s not predictable,” Tarleton said. “I think most physicians in Latin America have to say, ‘We have a drug. It’s going to make you feel bad, and two months later after we finish it, we’re not really going to be able to tell you if it worked or not.’
“It’s really not a good inducement to take the medication.”
Chagas disease common in Latin American countries
Tens of millions of people across the Americas are infected with the parasite that causes Chagas disease. But it doesn’t get much media attention.
It’s most common in Latin American countries, particularly in low-income areas where housing isn’t ideal. Some of the countries with the highest rates of the disease include Bolivia, Venezuela, Argentina, Chile, Mexico and Brazil.
In homes with thatched roofs, mud walls or inadequate protection from the elements, kissing bugs thrive, making infection more likely.
Chagas disease poses significant risk to pets
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates around 300,000 people infected with the parasite currently live in the U.S. But because the condition isn’t a huge threat in places with good housing options, Chagas disease treatment and prevention doesn’t get much research funding.
There is growing concern about the T. cruzi infection rate among outdoor pets in the U.S., however. Working dogs and other pets that spend extended periods of time outside are contracting the parasite at an alarming rate.
“There are areas where the infection rates are 20% to 30% new infections per year,” Tarleton said. “Those tend to be severe infections where the dogs either die or develop a disease that makes them unable to work.”
Tarleton hopes to partner with veterinary pharmaceutical companies in the future to create a drug to treat the infection in pets as a means of funding diagnostics and medication purchases in Latin America.
For the present study, Tarleton partnered with colleagues at Anacor Pharmaceuticals, Texas A&M University, the University of Texas, the University of Kansas and Pfizer. Angel Padilla, Wei Wang, Dylan Orr, Brooke White, Arlene George and Huifeng Shen from UGA’s Center for Tropical and Emerging Global Diseases and the Department of Cellular Biology are co-authors on the paper.
