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Writer's pictureThe Paladins
Sep 8, 2022

God save the King


HEADNOTE


This article contains both patriotism and analysis. Please note that with effect from 22 September 2022 we will not be updating it further. Antigua and Barbuda declared an intention to hold a referendum on removing the Britishonarch as their head of state over the weekend just past (20/21 September 2022). Further movements to remove the British monarch as Head of State will merit individual rather than collective analysis and that is not properly pursued here


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Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II died on 8 September 2002. She is succeeded as a matter of British law by His Majesty King Charles III, her first son, effective immediately. He is King now, even prior to his formal coronation. God save the King.



Prime Ministers


The British Prime Ministers to serve under Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II were:


Winston Churchill

Anthony Eden

Harold Macmillan

Alec Douglas-Holme

Harold Wilson

Edward Heath

James Callaghan

Margaret Thatcher

John Major

Tony Blair

Gordon Brown

David Cameron

Theresa May

Boris Johnson

Liz Truss



Quotes


'

We mourn profoundly the passing of a cherished sovereign and a much-loved mother.


I know her loss will be deeply felt throughout the country, the realms and the Commonwealth, and by countless people around the world.

'


His Majesty

King Charles III

8 September 2022



The Queen is dead. God save the King.



'

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. She ascended the throne just after the Second World War. She championed the development of the Commonwealth - from a small group of seven countries to a family of 56 nations spanning every continent of the world. We are now a modern, thriving, dynamic nation.


Through thick and thin, Queen Elizabeth II provided us with the stability and the strength that we needed. 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. Her life of service stretched beyond most of our living memories. In return, she was loved and admired by the people in the United Kingdom and all around the world.


She has been a personal inspiration to me and to many Britons. Her devotion to duty is an example to us all. Earlier this week, at 96, she remained determined to carry out her duties as she appointed me as her 15th prime minister.


Throughout her life she has visited more than 100 countries and she has touched the lives of millions around the world.


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.


It is a day of great loss, but Queen Elizabeth II leaves a great legacy.


Today the Crown passes - as it is has done for more than a thousand years - to our new monarch, our new head of state:


His Majesty King Charles III.


With the King’s family, we mourn the loss of his mother.


And as we mourn, we must come together as a people to support him. To help him bear the awesome responsibility that he now carries for us all.


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.

'


The Right Honourable Liz Truss MP

His Majesty's Prime Minister

of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

8 September 2022



The Queen is dead. God save the King.



Realms of which the King is Head of State


The Queen was head of state of 14 countries aside from the United Kingdom, and the King takes over all those roles. Here are statements from the political leaders of other countries of which the King is sovereign:


Canadian Prime Minister statement:


Australian Prime Minister statement:


New Zealand Prime Minister statement:


Prime Minister of the Bahamas statement:


Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda statement:


Prime Minister of Grenada statement:


Jamaican Prime Minister statement:


Solomon Islands (it is announced that the Governor General will issue a statement shortly; a public holiday will be declared):

Flags at half mast; traditional leader made a statement of condolences:


Papua New Guinea, Tuvalu:


Belize:



Other countries (both friendly to the United Kingdom and less so) expressing their xondolences


Here are statements from the political leaders of some third countries:


President of France statement:


President of Ukraine statement:


President of the Russian Federation statement:


President of Belarus statement:


US President, Irish Prime Minister, UN Secretary General, European Commission President, Bangladeshi Prime Minister, Indian Prime Minister, Scottish First Minister (n.b. Scotland is not a third country but a part of the United Kingdom, pursuant to a referendum of the people of Scotland in 2014):


President of Uzbekistan statement:


President of Serbia statement:


President of the Federated Republics of Mexico statement:


President, Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela statement:


Presidents, Netherlands, Italy:


President and Prime Minister, Pakistan statement:


Pope, leader, Holy See:


Presidents, Brazil and Argentina

The President of Brazil has declared a three-day period of mourning.


President of Turkmenistan statement:


Crown Prince, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia statement:


Leaders, Israel, United Arab Emirates, Jordan:


President, Republic of South Africa:


Emir of the State of Qatar:


Sweden, Belgium, Germany, Kenya, Gabon, Ghana:


President, Helvetic Confederation (Switzerland):


Sultan of Oman:


9 September 2022


President of the People's Republic of China:


Taiwan (not recognised as an independent state by the United Kingdom or generally):


Barbados, Turkey:


State of Kuwait:


Kingdom of Bahrain:


Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia:


Senegal, Camyan Islands, Nigeria, Gabon, Tanzania, Liberia, Dominica, Guyana:


Indonesia, Malaysia, Republic of Korea, Japan, Thailand, Singapore:


Iceland:


Uruguay:


Libya:


Morocco:


Iraq:


Spain, Poland, Estonia, Slovenia, Belgium, Montenegro, Malta, Austria:


North Macedonia:


Romania:


Egypt:


Hungary:


Croatia:


Ghana, Democratic Republic of Congo, Zimbabwe:


Albania, Bhutan, Denmark, Greece, Luxembourg, Monaco, Norway, Spain, Sweden:


Eritrea:


Georgia (Republic of):


Moldova (Republic of):



Countries not making a statement


Countries the political leaders of which are not known to have made a public statement at the time of writing (please contact us with any corrections):


Democratic People's Republic of Korea

Republic of Tajikistan

Afghanistan (full name of country controversial)

Islamic Republic of Iran (semi-official media issues critical statements):

Republic of Somalia

Republic of Cuba

Benin

Saint Kitts and Nevis (Queen was Head of State)

Saint Lucia (Queen was Head of State)

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (Queen was Head of State)

Republic of Kosovo (not universally recognised but recognised by the United Kingdom)

Republic of Yemen

East Timor

Sudan

South Sudan

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Bulgaria

Tunisia

Chad

Niger

Republic of Congo

Paraguay

Ecuador, Chile (https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-09-09/live-updates-queen-elizabeth-ii-dies-charles-becomes-king: note that the events described fall short of a government statement)

Colombia (above article asserts commemoration of the Queen but provides no details of in what this commemoration consisted; information unavailable elsewhere)

Liechtenstein

Central African Republic

South Ossetia (very limited international recognition)

Abkhazia (very limited international recognition)

Pridnestrovia (aka Transnistr (very limited international recognition)



At the time of writing, aside from the remarks in Iran's media cited above, no country representative has issued a statement that might be perceived as critical of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II or her reign.



Will there be a mass renunciation of the King as Head of State?


Based on our analysis so far, we predict that between three and four of the 14 countries not being the United Kingdom that still have the British monarch as their Head of State will declare their intention to renounce this relationship in the coming few days.


One interesting study that could be undertaken but that we have not attempted is to look for patterns in the length of statements. Most of them are very short or reasonably short. But some of them are hugely long - see e.g. Croatia, whose statement was so long that clearly nobody had time to translate it into English (making it rather ineffective for the purpose of a message of condolences to the British Royal Family, who do not speak Croatian). It would also be interesting to see how many of these messages of condolences were actually conveyed to the presumed recipient: His Majesty King Charles III.


More or less overt political agendas that have little to do with the United Kingdom may be at play in some of these outlier cases.


We will seek to keep this page updated until 23:59 BST Sunday 11 September 2022. Then amendments to this page will be closed. In the meantime we welcome all updates.



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