Queen Elizabeth II, Australia's figurehead, Britain's longest-reigning monarch, has died at Balmoral Castle in Scotland.
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On her death Charles automatically became king of the United Kingdom and Australia.
The royal style and title in Australia of his mother was Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God Queen of Australia and Her other Realms and Territories, Head of the Commonwealth. On her visits to Australia, she was referred to as Her Majesty The Queen.
Charles' office confirmed he would be known as King Charles III. His wife Camilla becomes Queen Consort.
So what happens now?
When and where will the funeral for Her Majesty the Queen be held?
- The funeral of Her Majesty The Queen will be held at Westminster Abbey, with the timing to be announced by Buckingham Palace.
- Buckingham Palace has extended invitations to representatives of the Commonwealth to pay their respects at the funeral on behalf of their Realms.
- For Australia, invitations have been extended to the Governor General, the Prime Minister, the High Commissioner and their spouses.
Is there a memorial held in Australia?
- Yes, the National Memorial Service will be held in Australia to commemorate the Queen and acknowledge her passing. It will most likely be held in Canberra, and will be held on D+11 Canberra time, after the funeral takes place in London on D+10 London time - though this timing has not yet been officially confirmed.
- (Are you confused by the D+0, D+2 etc. references you're seeing everywhere? Keep reading as we explain the official timeline towards the Queen's funeral, and how it's expected to proceed).
How long is the official mourning period?
- In Australia, there will not be an official mourning period. The Prime Minister will declare the day of the National Memorial Service a National Day of Mourning for Australia.
- Will this National Day of Mourning be a public holiday? All your public holiday questions are answered below.
- In the United Kingdom, the official mourning period following the death of Her Majesty The Queen continues until the day of the funeral.
Should all flags be flown at half-mast?
- The Australian National Flag should be flown at half-mast until after the day of the funeral in the United Kingdom. Direction will be provided to raise the flag for the proclamation.
- Vice-Regal Standards, such as the Governor-General's Standard, are to remain at full-mast. It represents the Monarchy, which is continuous, and it would therefore be inappropriate for it to fly at half-mast.
How can Australians express their condolences?
- Condolence Books will be available at Parliament House and Government House in Canberra.
- Books of Condolence will also be open at Government Houses in each State.
- An online Condolence form has also been established and can be accessed via the Governor-General and Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet websites.
Where can floral tributes be left?
- In Canberra, floral tributes may be left at the Forecourt of Parliament House and Government House.
- Each State and Territory will make local arrangements for floral tributes.
- The Royal Family have noted that instead of leaving floral tributes, Australians may wish to consider making a donation to a charity of their choice.
When will Australia's coins and notes change?
The Reserve Bank of Australia says there will be no immediate change to Australian banknotes.
"The $5 banknotes featuring the image of Her Majesty The Queen can continue to be used. They will not be withdrawn and are likely to remain in circulation for years to come," the reserve bank said in a statement.
"The reigning monarch has traditionally appeared on the lowest denomination of Australian banknote. The Reserve Bank will provide further updates in due course."
King Charles III won't appear on Australian coins just yet either. Treasury has been working with the Royal Australian Mint, based in Canberra, and the Perth Mint in recent months to prepare for the necessary change in effigy, which will be a gradual process.
It will take until 2023 for the effigy of King Charles III to appear on Australia's coins, but his mother's portrait is expected to be circulating for a long period after that.
Will Parliamentary proceedings be suspended?
- The Prime Minister will seek to suspend parliamentary proceedings until after the National Memorial Service.
- Condolence motions will be given in both the House of Representatives and the Senate on their next respective sitting days following the National Memorial Service.
READ MORE:
Please explain the timeline and how it all works
There have long been plans in place for the passing of the British Monarch. These are described in a timeline of days, with the date of death known as D Day, or D+0. As such, the day that follows is called D+1, and so on.
When will accession of the new Sovereign occur?
- The accession of the new Sovereign is automatic.
- The ceremony proclaiming the accession will occur in Australia on D+2.
When and where will the Proclamation of the new Sovereign take place?
- The United Kingdom will hold the Accession Council at St James's Palace.
- This will be followed by the Proclamation of the King at 11.00am (GMT) at St James's Palace and Royal Exchange.
- In Australia, a Proclamation ceremony will be held at Parliament House in Canberra. The Governor-General will read the Proclamation on the Forecourt of Parliament House.
- The Proclamation will be followed by a 21-gun salute.
Who will represent Australia at the Proclamation in the United Kingdom?
- High Commissioners for the Realms have been invited as observers.
- Australia's High Commissioner to the United Kingdom will attend the Proclamation.
- Australian Privy Councillors (The Rt Hon Sir William Heseltine and The Rt Hon Ian Sinclair) will also be invited.
When will the coronation of the new Sovereign occur?
- The coronation will take place at a later time to be announced by Buckingham Palace.
Will the National Day of Mourning be a public holiday in Australia?
- The Australian government has not yet decided if the National Day of Mourning will be a public holiday. The date of the National Day of Mourning is also yet to be confirmed. It will be held after the funeral in London.
Will the day of the Queen's death (September 8) become a public holiday in Australia?
- There are no plans to make the date of Queen Elizabeth II's death an annual public holiday.
What happens to the Queen's Birthday public holiday now that she has passed?
- The Queen's Birthday public holiday is legislated in Australian law and is not held on Elizabeth's actual birthday. The date will likely remain the same, but like the British national anthem, will change from 'Queen's' to 'King's'.
Events marking the Queen's passing
Gun salute
A gun salute will take place at Parliament House in Canberra to mark The Queen's death. It will consist of one round for each year of The Queen's life at 10 second intervals.
Proclamation ceremony
A Proclamation ceremony will be held at Parliament House in Canberra. This event is open to the public, subject to any public health restrictions in force at the time.
The Governor-General will read the Proclamation on the Forecourt of Parliament House. The Proclamation will be followed by a 21-gun salute.
READ MORE:
National Memorial Service
A National Memorial Service will be held.
States and Territories may hold additional memorial services.
Public attendance may be limited to comply with any public health restrictions in force at the time. Further advice will be provided when arrangements have been finalised.
National Day of Mourning
This day coincides with the National Memorial Service in Australia.
One minute's silence will be observed at 11am (timing TBC).
There is no formal requirement to suspend events on the National Day of Mourning.
The Queen's many visits to Australia
The Queen visited Australia on 16 occasions, her first visit in 1954 and her last in 2011: 1954, 1963, 1970, 1973, 1974, 1977, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1986, 1988, 1992, 2000, 2002, 2006 and 2011.
Queen Elizabeth, also the Queen of Australia, had perennial pride in this nation. Read how she lives on in Australia.
Which Australian charities and bodies had the Queen as a patron?
- Anglican Mothers' Union Australia
- Australian Medical Association
- Australian Physiotherapy Association
- Australian Racing Museum
- Australian Red Cross Society
- Commercial Representatives' and Agents' Association of Australia Limited
- Naval Association of Australia
- Royal Australian Air Force Reserve
- Royal Australian Army Nursing Corps
- Royal Australian Army Ordnance Corps
Quick facts about the Queen:
- The Queen was Head of State of the UK and 14 other Commonwealth realms. She was Queen of Australia.
- The elder daughter of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, she was born on 21 April 1926 in Mayfair, London.
- Became Queen at the age of 25 in 1952 (6 February)
- The Coronation took place in Westminster Abbey on 2 June 1953.
- The Queen was the longest serving British monarch. Only five other kings and queens in British history have reigned for 50 years or more. (Victoria, 63 years 216 days 1837-1901; George III, 59 years 96 days; James VI and I, 57 years, 246 days 1567-1625; Henry III, 56 years 19 days 12-16-1272; and Edward III, 50 years 147 days 1327-1377).
- The Queen was married to His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh. They were married in Westminster Abbey on 20 November 1947. Their marriage was the longest in the history of the British monarchy - lasting 73 years, until Prince Philip passed away at Windsor Castle on 9 April 2021, aged 99.
- The Queen and Prince Philip had four children - Prince Charles (b. 1948), Princess Anne (b. 1950), Prince Andrew (b. 1960), Prince Edward (b. 1964).
- After Princess Elizabeth became Queen, their third child, Prince Andrew, arrived in 1960 and the fourth, Prince Edward, in 1964.
- They also had eight grandchildren - William, Harry, Peter, Zara, Beatrice, Eugenie, Louise, and James - and twelve great-grandchildren - George, Charlotte, Louis, Archie, Savannah, Isla, Mia, Lena, Lucas, August, Lilibet, Sienna.
- Prince Charles, formerly The Prince of Wales, heir apparent to the throne, and now King Charles III, was born in 1948, and his sister, Princess Anne, now The Princess Royal, two years later.
- Following the death of King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia on 23 January 2015, Queen Elizabeth II became the world's oldest living monarch.
- The Queen became the longest serving monarch in British history on 9 September 2015, surpassing the 63 years, 7 months and 2 day-long reign of her great great grandmother Queen Victoria.
- Following the death of King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand on 13 October 2016, Queen Elizabeth II became the longest-serving living monarch in the world.
- Queen Elizabeth II was the fourth-longest serving monarch in world history - after King Louis XIV of France (who ruled for 72 years and 110 days), Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej (who ruled for 70 years and 126 days) and King Johann II of Liechtenstein (who ruled for 70 years and 91 days).
- Sixteen Australian prime ministers served during The Queen's reign: 1. Robert Menzies, 2. Harold Holt, 3. John McEwen, 4. John Gorton, 5. William McMahon, 6. Gough Whitlam, 7. Malcolm Fraser, 8. Bob Hawke, 9. Paul Keating, 10. John Howard, 11. Kevin Rudd, 12. Julia Gillard, 13. Tony Abbott, 14. Malcolm Turnbull, 15. Scott Morrison, 16. Anthony Albanese.
- Sixteen governors-general served during The Queen's reign: 1. William McKell, 2. William Slim, 3. William Morrison, 4. William Sidney, 5. Richard Casey, 6. Paul Hasluck, 7. John Kerr, 8. Zelman Cowen, 9. Ninian Stephen, 10. William Hayden, 11. William Deane, 12. Peter Hollingworth, 13. Michael Jeffery, 14. Quentin Bryce, 15. Peter Cosgrove, 16. David Hurley.
Quick facts about her role as head of the Commonwealth
- The Commonwealth has grown from seven nations (Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), and the United Kingdom) at the beginning of The Queen's reign to 54 members representing 2.4 billion people - or almost a third of the world's population - today.
- A Commonwealth Realm is a country which has The Queen as its Monarch.
- There are 15 Commonwealth Realms: 1. United Kingdom, 2. Australia, 3. The Bahamas, 4. Belize, 5. Canada, 6. Grenada, 7. Jamaica, 8. New Zealand, 9. Papua New Guinea, 10. St Christopher and Nevis, 11. Saint Lucia, 12. Tuvalu, 13. Antigua and Barbuda, 14. Solomon Islands, 15. St Vincent and The Grenadines.
- In addition, there are 39 other countries in the Commonwealth. Africa: 1. Botswana, 2. Cameroon, 3. The Gambia, 4. Ghana, 5. Kenya, 6. Kingdom of Eswatini, 7. Lesotho, 8. Malawi, 9. Mauritius, 10. Mozambique, 11. Namibia, 12. Nigeria, 13. Rwanda, 14. Seychelles, 15. Sierra Leone, 16. South Africa, 17. Uganda, 18. United Republic of Tanzania, 19. Zambia. Asia: 20. Bangladesh, 21. Brunei Darussalam, 22. India, 23. Malaysia, 24. Maldives, 25. Pakistan, 26. Singapore, 27. Sri Lanka. Caribbean and Americas: 28. Dominica, 29. Guyana, 30. Trinidad and Tobago, 31. Barbados. Europe: 32. Cyprus, 33. Malta. Pacific: 34. Fiji, 35. Kiribati, 36. Nauru, 37. Samoa, 38. Tonga, 39. Vanuatu.
Harley Dennett
Former federal politics bureau chief for the Canberra Times, via a career that's taken me from rural Victoria to Washington DC. Telling the stories of my local LGBTI community brought me to political journalism, where I've covered eight budgets, four national elections in two countries, Defence, public service and international governance.
Former federal politics bureau chief for the Canberra Times, via a career that's taken me from rural Victoria to Washington DC. Telling the stories of my local LGBTI community brought me to political journalism, where I've covered eight budgets, four national elections in two countries, Defence, public service and international governance.
