The first inclination we had that Queen Elizabeth II had passed into the ages was a glimpse of the Union Jack flying at half mast over Buckingham Palace during the BBC's sterling non-stop coverage after her doctors stated their concerns on the British monarch's health on Thursday.
Moments later, a BBC newscaster announced that Buckingham Palace had revealed that Britain's longest-reigning ruler had died that afternoon.
The BBC screen then went black for a few moments, before the telecast resumed with more details about Elizabeth Regina's death at Balmoral Castle in Scotland just 48 hours after she had invited Liz Truss to form the next government.
The BBC telecast of the queen's death, conducted with decorum and gravitas, is something every shrieking news television journalist in this country must view and learn from.
IMAGE: News about her majesty's death brought thousands of Britons outside Buckingham Palace, many in tears. Photograph: Henry Nicholls/Reuters
IMAGE: British Prime Minister Liz Truss arrives to pay homage to 'the rock on whose foundation Britain stood' outside 10, Downing Street in London.
At the end of her tribute to Queen Elizabeth, Truss revealed that the new monarch would be known as King Charles III. Photograph: Peter Nicholls/Reuters
IMAGE: A girl places flowers outside Buckingham Palace in the queen's memory. Photograph: Henry Nicholls/Reuters
IMAGE: A tribute to Queen Elizabeth on the Nasdaq MarketSite billboard screen in Times Square, New York City. Photograph: Andrew Kelly/Reuters
IMAGE: The rear window of a cab with the image of Queen Elizabeth on it, is pictured parked near Buckingham Palace. Photograph: Peter Nicholls/Reuters
IMAGE: United States President Joe Biden signs a condolence book at the British embassy in Washington, DC. Photograph: Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters
IMAGE: A tribute to Queen Elizabeth appears on the National Arts Centre in Ottawa, Canada. Photograph: Patrick Doyle/Reuters
IMAGE: A person photographs Queen Elizabeth's Royal Cypher as it is projected on the Peace Tower of the Parliament buildings in Ottawa. Photograph: Patrick Doyle/Reuters
IMAGE: The Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro is illuminated in the Union Jack's colours after Brazil's government decreed three days of mourning following the queen's death. Photograph: Pilar Olivares/Reuters
IMAGE: The Empire State Building in New York City is lit up in purple in the queen's memory. Photograph: Caitlin Ochs/Reuters
IMAGE: European Union flags fly at half mast outside the European Commission headquarters in Brussels. Photograph: Yves Herman/Reuters
Photographs curated by Manisha Kotian/Rediff.com
Feature Presentation: Ashish Narsale/Rediff.com
