Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, has sadly passed away, aged 96, it has officially been confirmed.
Buckingham Palace has confirmed the news in a statement released today.
During her 70 years on the throne, Elizabeth II served as Queen of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth – undertaking an important symbolic and unifying role as a head of state, spanning numerous geographical regions, cultures and religions.
She was not just the longest-reigning British monarch in history, but she was also the first-ever monarch to reign in the United Kingdom for 70 years and was beloved by many for her sense of duty and devotion to her role.
The statement reads in full: “The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon.
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The King and The Queen Consort will remain at Balmoral this evening and will return to London tomorrow.”
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. pic.twitter.com/VfxpXro22W
The confirmation of HRH Queen Elizabeth II’s passing comes after Buckingham Palace announced on Thursday 8 September that she was “under medical supervision” at Balmoral after her doctors had become “concerned for Her Majesty’s health”.
A meeting of the Accession Council is now expected to gather at St James’s Place to proclaim the accession of Prince Charles as the new Sovereign.
As per the late Queen’s wishes, Prince Charles’ wife, Camilla Parker Bowles, will be known as Queen Consort and is also expected be crowned at his coronation.
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Arrangements for the lying-in-state and funeral must wait on the decisions of the new King, Charles III.
HM Queen Elizabeth II has died aged 96 / Credit: Wikimedia Commons
Queen Elizabeth II’s Life
HRH was born Princess Elizabeth (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary) in 1926.
Having left the UK for a tour of Kenya with her new husband of just five years, it was at the region’s Treetops Hotel that she would learn of the death of her father, George V, on 6 February 1952.
After receiving the news, she immediately canceled her projected journey to Switzerland and returned home urgently with the Duke of Edinburgh to be with her family and make arrangements for her father’s funeral.
The Coronation of Elizabeth II took place on 2 June 1953 at Westminster Abbey in London.
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Elizabeth II acceded to the throne at the age of 25, being proclaimed Queen by her privy and executive councils shortly afterwards.
The Coronation of Elizabeth II took place on 2 June 1953 at Westminster Abbey in London / Credit: Wikimedia Commons
During her reign, she served as an important figurehead for the UK and the Commonwealth during times of enormous social change.
Throughout her life, she remained committed to public and voluntary service and was linked to over 600 charities, military associations, professional bodies and public service organisations.
From the preservation of wildlife and the environment to the protection of young children, in her role as Royal patron or president she brought much publicity to important charitable causes throughout her lifetime.
She was passionate about horses and racing, first learning to ride when she was just three years of age and continuing to ride up until the age of 94, which is the last time she was publicly spotted on horseback.
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A longtime racehorse owner, in 2021 she was presented with a horse racing honour that inducted her into the QIPCO British Champions Series Hall of Fame.
In the BBC documentary, The Queen’s Racehorses: A Personal View, she said: “My philosophy about racing is simple. I enjoy breeding a horse that is faster than other people’s, and to me, that is a gamble from a long way back.
“I enjoy going racing but I suppose, basically, I love horses, and the thoroughbred epitomises a really good horse to me.”
HRH was also famous for her love for dogs, which was inherited from her father, King George VI – who brought home the family’s first corgi, a puppy named Dookie, in 1933.
Her Majesty bred over 30 canines during her reign and is credited with creating the Dorgi, a dachshund-corgi hybrid, after one of her pet corgis mated with her sister, Princess Margaret’s dachshund Pipkin.
Featured Image – Sergeant Adrian Harlen (via Crown Copywright)
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A ‘lost town’ in Yorkshire has been discovered 650 years after being ‘swallowed by the sea’
Clementine Hall
The sunken town is dubbed ‘Yorkshire’s Atlantis’.
Britain’s lost Atlantis is thought to have finally been discovered after falling into the North Sea 650 years ago.
Historians believed it lay at the bottom of the ocean around a mile off from the Yorkshire coast.
Ravenser Odd is a town which sunk to the depths of the sea back in 1362, The Hoot Leeds reports.
Scientists have been in search of the town for years, and have likened its eventual discovery to Atlantis and Pompeii.
The sunken town, dubbed ‘Yorkshire’s Atlantis’, was once a popular stopping place for fishing boats and cargo ship that sat the mouth of the Humber Estuary.
Image: Unsplash
However, a new search closer to the shore has recently uncovered rocks and stonework beneath the water’s surface.
Specialist sonar equipment has been deployed in an attempt to discover the harbour walls of the lost town.
Professor Dan Parsons, a geoscientist at the University of Hull, is leading the search.
He told The Sun: “It’s fascinating, exciting, exhilarating. The exact location of this medieval town hasn’t ever been pinpointed.
“We now have the tools and the technology to go out there and locate it once and for all.”
The search team hope to find the footprint of the town including its sea wall, harbour and foundations.
This will allow them to map it all out and create a 3D map which divers could then use to explore the site.
Scientists say they now have all the data needed and will be analysing the area under the sea in the coming weeks.
After all this, they should be able to confirm whether the findings are infact the lost Yorkshire town of Ravenser Odd.
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Hit Christmas market stall opens permanently at Piccadilly Gardens
Georgina Pellant
Crunch Korean Gansig has become a must-try foodie stall at the Manchester Christma Markets, now it’s pulled up at Picadilly Gardens permanently.
The hit Korean hot dog stall has wowed visitors over the past few years with its cheese, potato and meat-filled creations.
Deep-fried in a crispy waffle coating and then lightly rolled in sugar, these sausages on a stick come drizzled in sweet ketchup and mustard.
Incredibly moreish if we do say so ourselves, since first making their appearance at the 2021 Manchester Christmas Markets they’ve consistently been ranked one of the event’s best food traders.
Now, thanks to a new permanent stall popping up where it all began for the team, Manc foodies can enjoy their hot meaty and cheesy Korean goodies all year long.
Popular flavour choices include all-cheese, all-sausage and half-and-half versions, with a vegetarian-friendly cheese-filled version wrapped in a potato waffle coating, and halal-friendly options that are made using separate batter and fryers.
This really is a hot dog stand that caters to everyone. With owners having previously said they would work on a vegan hot dog once they got their own permanent stand, we don’t expect the plant-powered gang will be left waiting too much longer.
Sharing the news to Instagram, the Crunch Korean Gansig team wrote: “Hey guys, we’ve got exciting news to share! We are launching a new market stall in the Piccadilly garden street food market from tomorrow.
“After two years of successful Christmas trading, we are ready to take on a new challenge, and love to serve our hotdogs to you guys again!
“So come on down to the market and say hi, we love to see you there! See you soon!”
Fans of the Korean hot dog stall have responded to the news with enthusiasm, flooding into the comments to share their excitement.
One person wrote: “So excited we will have to go!!”
Another person said: “Nooooo stop!!! I’m so happy I could cry”
The Manc -
8th September 2022 
