‘London Bridge is Down’
Post Reports
The Washington Post
4.4 • 5.1K Ratings
🗓️ 8 September 2022
⏱️ 30 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
The death of Queen Elizabeth II, and how her reign over Britain shaped the world for 70 years.
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Queen Elizabeth II is dead. She passed away peacefully on Thursday afternoon at the age of 96, according to a statement from Buckingham Palace. She was Britain’s longest-reigning monarch and held the throne for 70 years.
The world had been bracing for her passing for some time. “Operation London Bridge” even maps out what happens next, the when and the how. Her son now takes over as King Charles III.
Despite the preparations, Brits are still in shock. For many, Queen Elizabeth was all they knew, a constant amid big cultural shifts and geopolitical changes, nationally and globally.
She became queen at a time when British colonial rule was imploding. She ushered in a new era of the Commonwealth. Tabloids and television zeroed in on her marriage and family life, but she still somehow remained private.
Adrian Higgins reported for The Washington Post for years, covering the royal family. He joins “Post Reports” to look back on the life and legacy of Queen Elizabeth II, and how her death calls into question the future of a monarchy that dates back to the 10th century.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | The death of her majesty, the queen, is a huge shock to the nation and to the world. |
| 0:07.0 | The queen is a huge shock to the nation and to the world. |
| 0:16.0 | The queen is a huge shock to the nation and to the world. |
| 0:24.0 | The death of her majesty, the queen, is a huge shock to the nation and to the world. |
| 0:31.0 | Queen Elizabeth II was the rock on which modern Britain was built. |
| 0:37.0 | That's British Prime Minister Liz Truss. |
| 0:40.0 | Our country has grown and flourished under her reign. |
| 0:44.0 | Britain is the great country it is today because of her. |
| 0:52.0 | From the newsroom of the Washington Post, this is Post Reports. |
| 0:57.0 | I'm Ella Hay-Ezaddi, in for Martine Powers. |
| 1:00.0 | It's Thursday, September 8th. |
| 1:02.0 | Today, London Bridge is down. |
| 1:05.0 | That's the official language used to announce that Queen Elizabeth's 70-year reign has come to an end. |
| 1:12.0 | The 96-year-old monarch died while surrounded by family at Balmoral Castle in Scotland. |
| 1:18.0 | Bucking him palace announced her death but did not disclose any causes. |
| 1:23.0 | Queen Elizabeth's heir Charles has ascended to the throne as King Charles III. |
| 1:28.0 | During her lifetime, Queen Elizabeth served as a constant presence, a figure symbolizing continuity for the United Kingdom. |
| 1:37.0 | Even as the world and Britain's place within it has fundamentally changed. |
| 1:45.0 | I think it's safe to say that Elizabeth, through her diligence and personality, secured the monarchy during her reign because she was so well-liked and admired. |
| 1:57.0 | That's reporter Adrian Higgins who covered the royal family for years. |
| 2:02.0 | The question moving forward is, will her successes be as popular, frankly? |
| 2:10.0 | And if they're not, we may not see a constitutional monarchy in Britain in the decades or centuries ahead. |
... |
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