Britain wakes up for the first time in more than 70 years without its queen, as the country mourns

Learn the details of Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral 0:37 London (CNN) — Britain dawns Friday on its first day in more than 70 years without Queen Elizabeth II at the helm, as people across the country and the world They mourn the death of the monarch. Tributes poured in from around the world for Elizabeth, who died aged 96 after the longest reign in British history, a period during which she oversaw the last throes of the British empire, endured global turmoil and domestic scandal, welcomed 15 prime ministers and dramatically modernized the monarchy. Carlos, the eldest son of the queen, has now become King Carlos III. The next few hours and days will see a schedule of events to honor his life and guide the transition ahead, but his passing leaves a void for the UK at a time of great challenge, amid a change in political leadership and a looming economic recession. Although the British rarely looked to the monarchy for political leadership, Elizabeth has been a constant presence beloved by many through decades of significant change that saw Britain transform from a war-weary declining imperial power into a multicultural state. modern. As Friday dawned and Britain entered its first full day of mourning, church bells rang in honor of the queen across the country. Some stores, including the Selfridges department store, decided to close as a show of respect. Despite heavy downpours in parts of the UK on Thursday night, crowds of mourners had gathered outside London’s Buckingham Palace, Scotland’s Balmoral Castle, where the queen was staying at the time of her death, and other royal residences, after the royal family announced his passing. Many brought flowers and lit candles, some looking visibly shaken by the news. The silent chant of “God Save the Queen” erupted from the crowd outside Buckingham Palace, where the crowd gathered even as night fell. In accordance with royal tradition, a written declaration announcing the queen’s death was displayed at the palace gates. In a surprising moment, just after the official announcement was made, the heavy rain that had been hitting London stopped and a large double rainbow appeared over the palace. The royal family announced her passing in a series of social media posts, with the first announcement coming from Buckingham Palace at 6:30pm local time in a tweet. It simply read: “The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon. The King and Queen consort will remain at Balmoral tonight and return to London tomorrow.” King Charles III is expected to deliver a televised address to the nation on Friday afternoon. World leaders from around the world have made statements honoring Elizabeth’s life, underscoring the global impact she had on her during her 70-year reign. Elizabeth was head of state not only in Great Britain, but also in 14 other British Commonwealth realms, including Australia and Canada, and was head of the 54-member Commonwealth, the vast majority of which are former colonial territories of the British Empire. . The outpouring of sympathy included a statement from United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, calling the queen “a reassuring presence throughout decades of sweeping change,” and another from US President Joe Biden, and the first Lady Jill Biden, who said the queen “defined an era.” In Asia, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrote in a tweet Friday morning that the queen would be “remembered as a stalwart of our time,” while Chinese leader Xi Jinping called Charles on Friday to express his “deep condolences,” Chinese state media said. Regular meetings between many agencies, from central and local government departments to military and religious authorities and representatives of the 14 other countries where she was also head of state, have been held for decades to plan and rehearse the details of post-war events. his passing. Gun salutes will be made in the royal parks in her memory, while Parliament is expected to be open for her members to pay her homage. As monarch, Queen Elizabeth is automatically granted a publicly funded state funeral, with details to be released in the coming days. Arrangements will be made in the coming days for her to be transported back from Balmoral to London, where she is expected to remain for several days before her funeral. Other formalities to come include a meeting of the Accession Council in an ancient ceremony at London’s 500-year-old St. James’s Palace. A portion of that meeting will include a formal announcement of the sovereign’s death and a formal proclamation of King Charles III as the new sovereign. This is a closed meeting but attended by hundreds of dignitaries and members of the Privy Council, which is a panel of royal advisers, and will be followed by the Garter King of Arms, the person charged with overseeing royal ceremonial duties, reading the Proclamation from the balcony of the palace and the salvos of cannon fire will tour the capital. CNN’s David Wilkinson, Susannah Cullinane, Peter Wilkinson, Laura Smith-Spark and Stephanie Busari contributed to this story.