Queen Elizabeth II's death sparked an outpouring of grief from billions of people around the world, and people came together to pay their respects to a woman who will go down in history as one of Britain's greatest monarchs.
In a quite extraordinary moment, a rainbow broke out over Windsor Castle at the moment of the announcement of Her Majesty's passing, and the hugely experienced royal photographer Chris Jackson was there to capture it.
'As the flag is lowered to half mast over Windsor Castle and the minute the passing of HM The Queen is announced an incredible rainbow appears over the castle, for a few minutes,' Chris wrote on Instagram. 'And then just like that it was gone…'
Huge crowds had gathered at Windsor, and indeed at all the other royal residences, as people came together to help each other as they started to process the sad news.
Thousands came together at Buckingham Palace:
For a long time, the crowd was lost in quiet thought; then, seemingly spontaneously, they broke into song:
On The Mall — the road leading up to the central London residence — London's black cab drivers even joined the vigil themselves as they formed a procession of sorts:
At Buckingham Palace as at Windsor, the day's volatile weather — alternating bright sunshine and heavy downpours — led to another rainbow, somehow an ideal symbol of a day on which grief and sadness were mixed with joyful memories of a person who touched countless lives.
At Sandringham in Norfolk, huge numbers of flowers had been laid at the gates before night had even fallen:
Windsor Castle was also flooded with floral tributes, and as night fell thousands of people took to the streets of the ancient town which was Her Majesty's preferred day-to-day home:
And finally, of course, endless flowers were laid at Balmoral itself, Her Majesty's much-loved summer residence in a part of the world where local people have long looked upon her fondly as one of their own.
Her Majesty The Queen dies aged 96
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II has died at the age of 96.
Windsor Castle's rainbow to the heavens, and the other indelible images from the day Her Majesty The Queen died
Queen Elizabeth II: Tributes from around the world to Britain's longest-serving monarch
-
Brockfield Hall, the great Yorkshire house that's gone from Regency mansion to modern family homeBrockfield Hall in North Yorkshire is the family home of Charlie Wood and Hatta Byng, editor of House & Garden, who have transformed it since they came here in 2020, winning multiple awards in the process. John Martin Robinson reports on the restoration project that revived this compact Regency house as a modern family home. Photographs by Paul Highnam for Country Life.
-
Barbour’s heritage jackets get a floral makeover courtesy of ErdemUtilitarian outwear has taken the fashion world by storm and now Britain's world-famous wax jackets are getting in on the act, inspired by some of our greatest countryside icons.
-
Queen Camilla says 'sad farewell' to her beloved Jack Russell, BethHer Majesty Queen Camilla's much-loved Jack Russell terrier Beth has died.
-
Dawn Chorus: Watching telly with The Queen, the one-bedroom wreck that fetched £2 million and our Quiz of the DayPlus a Paddington Bear hamper, an ancient tree and a house with a terrifying price tag — it's Friday's Dawn Chorus.
-
Fit for a (very small) queen — a dolls' house with running water, electricity and working liftsQueen Mary's Dolls' House celebrates its 100th anniversary with a brand new exhibition and a reimagined display at Windsor Castle.
-
75 things you never knew about King Charles III as he celebrates his 75th birthdayOn The King’s big day, Amie Elizabeth White reveals 75 things you might not know about our monarch.
-
Remembering Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, one year onA year on from the death of Queen Elizabeth II, we remember the late monarch.
-
What it's like to have a prime seat at a Royal Coronation by John Betjeman, who reported for Country Life in 1953The late, great Poet Laureate John Betjeman was among the congregation when Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II was crowned in 1953 — and he wrote about it for Country Life. We're very proud to reproduce that article now — The Queen's Coronation: In The Abbey by John Betjeman.
-
The coronation of King Charles III: What you'll find inside Country Life's 350-page commemorative issueCountry Life 26 April 2023 commemorates the coronation of King Charles III with an extraordinary issue of over 350 pages paying tribute to the monarch.
-
Country Life's forthcoming special issue on King Charles IIICountry Life's forthcoming issue on November 9th, 2022, will take an in-depth look at His Majesty The King.
