The Spectator Australia is deeply saddened and shaken by the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II at 96 after a 70-year reign.

A short statement was released by the Palace:

‘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.’

She passed peacefully, surrounded by her family. The Queen has been immediately succeeded by her son Charles, the The King.

Very few Aussies or Brits have ever known a world without Her Majesty.

Indeed, The Queen is perhaps the single greatest – and most unbreakable – bond that unites Great Britain and her brash, larrikin, flashy offspring, the Commonwealth of Australia.

Even the staunchest Irish-descended Australian republican – and there is alas no shortage of those – came to love and respect The Queen of Australia for her grace, her wisdom, her political acumen, and her finesse.

Queen Elizabeth saw Australia at its greatest – supporting the mother country through the war years, giving her the benefit of our talents and our wealth, and proving that the bulldog spirit of grit and determination could do wonders even in a far-flung land.

As a young Canberra schoolboy, I was one of the kids privileged to have been selected to meet The Queen and to hand her a bouquet of flowers during a visit to Duntroon.

It is to be hoped that her heir Charles, educated briefly in Australia, has the emotional intelligence and political maturity to retain the affection and admiration that all Australians have for our Constitutional Monarchy.

These are sad days indeed. She will be missed.

Rowan Dean, Editor, The Spectator Australia