alison Posted September 8, 2022 Share Posted September 8, 2022 https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-61585886 "In a statement, Buckingham Palace said: "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."" 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinMM Posted September 8, 2022 Share Posted September 8, 2022 This is so sad 😥 Truly the end of an era for the UK 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sabine0308 Posted September 8, 2022 Share Posted September 8, 2022 I'm very sad. I have nothing but respect for her commitment to her duty and her people. What a life! May she rest in peace. 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angela Essex Posted September 8, 2022 Share Posted September 8, 2022 😭😭😭 How very sad - her commitment to duty was selfless and inspiring. RIP. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fiz Posted September 8, 2022 Share Posted September 8, 2022 I have been sad all day. The Queen was a huge stabilising force and a passionate commitment to duty and service. May she rest in peace and rise in glory. 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bridiem Posted September 8, 2022 Share Posted September 8, 2022 So sad and shocking. She really did serve the nation right to the end; she died quietly having performed her final great constitutional duties on Tuesday. So she died as she lived. What a person, and what a monarch. May she rest in eternal peace. 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
invisiblecircus Posted September 8, 2022 Share Posted September 8, 2022 Very sad and shocking news. I thought she looked frail on Tuesday and we've been hearing that she's had mobility difficulties for a while but her death seemed come very suddenly. She was very stoic. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zxDaveM Posted September 8, 2022 Share Posted September 8, 2022 very, very sad news - but hardly shocking (she hasn't been firing on all cylinders for most of the year - missing The Derby at Epsom Downs for example - one of the first entries in her diary after Royal Ascot, and perhaps the platinum jubilee celebrations took more out of her than we'll ever know). And she was 96 We all know she loved her racing, or more especially her horses - she had a winner at Goodwood on Tuesday (and indeed, over the last 2 weeks, a pretty good strike rate of 31%). Poignantly, she had a 2nd placed horse at 4.35 today at Epsom, beaten a whisker. It must have run at about the time she passed away 😞 A truly remarkable and stabilising presence, her sad demise means a 'changing of the guard' for us all in the UK. Sadly, I can't see it being a change for the better 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sim Posted September 8, 2022 Share Posted September 8, 2022 There will never be another like her. Her selfless dedication and hard work for her country and her people, and the Commonwealth, deserve our eternal thanks and respect. RIP to an amazing lady, who at 96 was still working until two days before her passing. Thank you Ma’am. 15 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Macmillan Posted September 9, 2022 Share Posted September 9, 2022 Sim has encapsulated well my own reaction to a long-awaited death. And so begins a third Carolingian era, one in which I find I'm older than the Head of State. Thinking back to 1952 after yesterday's news, I would have been aware of the King's death, but only through the BBC Home Service. The family didn't have TV at that time and I would only have seen news footage of the new Queen's arrival back in London in a weekend cinema newsreel. So, compared to the nonstop coverage since yesterday lunchtime, my recollections are necessarily limited. But what I do recall so much more was the expectation that developed after the King's funeral of a "New Elizabethan Age," an expectation that grew by the day until the Coronation on 2 June 1953. The nation had a new young Queen, a young woman in her 20s, we were still recovering from the effects of World War 2, and optimism thrived. I think that the transition that begins today - to a King who has known this was his destiny for some 70 years - will be more muted. Time will tell as we all learn to say and sing "God save the King." 13 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dancing unicorn Posted September 9, 2022 Share Posted September 9, 2022 A very sad day 🌹😢🌹 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wanja Posted September 9, 2022 Share Posted September 9, 2022 My condolences to all britons. She was a remarkable woman, a symbol in many respects and it's hard to imagine Great Britain (and the world) without the Queen. 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mumofballetmaddaughter Posted September 9, 2022 Share Posted September 9, 2022 RIP Queen Elizabeth II, an amazing lady who was an inspiration to all. Her devotion to duty, and her stoicism, especially during latter years, has been remarkable. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buddy Posted September 9, 2022 Share Posted September 9, 2022 I haven’t looked at them all but this seems to be a very fine collection of photos if you’re able to access them from the New York Times. The early ones have always been ones that I like very much. With sadness and condolences…. https://www.nytimes.com/es/2022/09/08/espanol/reina-isabel-fotos.html?campaign_id=190&emc=edit_ufn_20220909&instance_id=71467&nl=updates-from-the-newsroom®i_id=156452945&segment_id=105805&te=1&user_id=f8301819ca07cba02501493f2f306919 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted September 9, 2022 Author Share Posted September 9, 2022 Speaking of condolences, there is a book of condolences in the "old" foyer at the Royal Opera House. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmhopton Posted September 10, 2022 Share Posted September 10, 2022 If this link works, I thought this a lovely tribute from Carlos. Perhaps we should have a separate thread for the Queen. She did create the Royal Ballet and Birmingham Royal Ballet and people may have memories of seeing her or her mother at performances. The only time I've seen her at a performance (the only time I've ever seen her 'live) was at the 50th anniversary performance of Sleeping Beauty in 1996 (I think). It was a glitzy occasion with both the Queen and Ninette de Valois present. Just before the last act all the remaining performers of that first performance came on stage; (huge round of applause for Beryl Grey), and they all sat at the back of the stage for the last act. At the end all performers on stage turned and paid homage to them rather than the Lilac fairy and a shower of glitter came down. My memory of the Queen was when Ninette de Valois came on stage everyone (including the Queen ) gave her a standing ovation; not often anyone upstages the Queen! On the way out we all got a piece of 'wedding cake' in a box. A lovely, memorable evening. 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeannette Posted September 10, 2022 Share Posted September 10, 2022 (edited) Agreed. Perhaps some of these posts can be shifted to a separate Queen Ballet-related Memories? Until then, I’ll never forget being in the ROH audience during the Queen’s 80th b’day performance in June 2006…which itself was part of a series of performances honoring a major company anniversary (75th?)…including a reconstruction/reimagining of Ashton’s Homage to the Queen. As dopey as it seemed, I loved the final tableau when the entire cast turned its backs to the audience to kneel at the Royal crest. Happy memories!!! Edited September 10, 2022 by Jeannette 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sim Posted September 10, 2022 Share Posted September 10, 2022 I think it's such a shame that the Last Night of the Proms has been cancelled. I could have just imagined the whole of the Albert Hall singing Rule Britannia and the national anthem and perhaps Jerusalem in wonderful and emotional voice. What a moment that would have been. They could have projected a photo of the Queen behind the stage and it would have been as if everyone were coming together to sing to her, in her memory. Flags would have been waving and it would have been a beautiful coming together of people from all over the world paying respects to Her Majesty. A real missed opportunity. 16 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
San Perregrino Posted September 10, 2022 Share Posted September 10, 2022 28 minutes ago, Sim said: I think it's such a shame that the Last Night of the Proms has been cancelled. I could have just imagined the whole of the Albert Hall singing Rule Britannia and the national anthem and perhaps Jerusalem in wonderful and emotional voice. What a moment that would have been. They could have projected a photo of the Queen behind the stage and it would have been as if everyone were coming together to sing to her, in her memory. Flags would have been waving and it would have been a beautiful coming together of people from all over the world paying respects to Her Majesty. A real missed opportunity. Agreed @Sim particularly as I managed to buy tickets this year! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sim Posted September 10, 2022 Share Posted September 10, 2022 2 hours ago, PeterS said: Agreed @Sim particularly as I managed to buy tickets this year! Oh no! 🤦🏻♀️😢 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted September 10, 2022 Author Share Posted September 10, 2022 He's not the only one. But realistically, with less than 48 hours' notice I'm not sure it would have been practicable to rearrange the rest of the programming to something more appropriate for the circumstances. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
li tai po Posted September 10, 2022 Share Posted September 10, 2022 The Queen attended the Royal Opera House on 4 August 2000, the very day of the Queen Mother's 100th birthday. Both the Queen Mother and Princess Margaret were great ballet fans and the Queen Mother chose to spend her birthday by attending a ballet performance privately with her two daughters. It was a late decision; they sat in the Royal Box and there had been a bit of a kerfuffle as the ROH reseated the original occupants elsewhere in the house. The performance was a Fokine programme by the Kirov Ballet - Petrushka, Le Spectre de la Rose, Polovtsian Dances and Scheherazade (with Lopatkina and Ruzimatov). Gergiev flew in from Rome to conduct Scheherazade without a rehearsal. He conducted at a furious pace and the dancers were struggling to keep up with him - indeed they still remember the breakneck speed to this day. Afterwards, Gergiev conducted Happy Birthday from the pit. I remember seeing a wide-eyed Diana Vishneva, peeking from the wings during Scheherazade towards the Royal Box. 12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bangorballetboy Posted September 11, 2022 Share Posted September 11, 2022 Yesterday afternoon around 50 Prommers gathered on the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Steps at the Royal Albert Hall. After a minute’s silence, they laid the carnations that would have been used to make buttonholes for the Last Night performers around/on the dedication stone. Standing in a circle around the dedication stone, they then sang Jerusalem, the National Anthem and Auld Lang Syne. It was very moving. 14 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted September 11, 2022 Share Posted September 11, 2022 Northern Ballet’s home page was a very poignant plain black which linked to the Company’s written tribute. There is now a lovely photograph of the Queen which links to the tribute. Federico Bonelli said a few words before the start of last night’s performance and he then led a minute’s silence before the national anthem was played. 11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Odyssey Posted September 11, 2022 Share Posted September 11, 2022 I thought it would be appropriate to post pictures of Her Majesty attending the ballet. I found Getty images have quite a few. Here is just a small selection: https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/news-photo/queen-elizabeth-ii-visiting-the-royal-albert-hall-for-a-news-photo/52116096 https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/news-photo/britains-queen-elizabeth-ii-meets-ballerinas-after-the-news-photo/71157994?adppopup=truehttps://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/news-photo/queen-elizabeth-ii-speaks-to-margot-fonteyn-and-rudolf-news-photo/137810171?adppopup=true https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/news-photo/the-queen-meeting-ballet-dancers-fromthe-cast-of-the-ballet-news-photo/52098801?adppopup=true https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/news-photo/queen-elizabeth-ii-meets-john-tooley-director-of-the-royal-news-photo/1300564858?adppopup=true 5 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Two Pigeons Posted September 11, 2022 Share Posted September 11, 2022 2 hours ago, bangorballetboy said: Yesterday afternoon around 50 Prommers gathered on the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Steps at the Royal Albert Hall. After a minute’s silence, they laid the carnations that would have been used to make buttonholes for the Last Night performers around/on the dedication stone. Standing in a circle around the dedication stone, they then sang Jerusalem, the National Anthem and Auld Lang Syne. It was very moving. Thank you so much for sharing this story. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeannette Posted September 11, 2022 Share Posted September 11, 2022 Thank you, Odyssey, for the delightful photos. The second one was taken on the Queen’s 80th-birthday night that I attended and described above…on 8 June 2006, after Homage to the Queen. All of us in the audience sang Happy Birthday. What a night it was! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emeralds Posted September 11, 2022 Share Posted September 11, 2022 (edited) 12 hours ago, alison said: He's not the only one. But realistically, with less than 48 hours' notice I'm not sure it would have been practicable to rearrange the rest of the programming to something more appropriate for the circumstances. I once saw the LSO and their concertmaster replace one third of the entire show with a violin concerto for a singer who cancelled at the very last minute. The orchestra had not played the piece as an ensemble for over a year, never ever played it with that conductor, nor with that violinist (who was admittedly one of their own band, but still). They went on and did it without a rehearsal- they had no time. It sounded amazing- better than some who had actually rehearsed. I must admit the edge of the seat “will he and they make it without a major error” frisson did actually add to the excitement, if the excited whispering after the conductor’s announcement was anything to go by. The 2001 LNOTP programme after 9/11 was drastically altered with just a few days’ notice. The opera star Lesley Garrett also said on the Radio 3 broadcast last night that she wished it had gone ahead with a slightly altered programme to pay tribute to the late Queen instead of them all sitting in a radio booth talking. I also feel bad for Lise Davidsen and Sheku Kanneh-Mason, who both had concerts in London and abroad abruptly cancelled once already due to the pandemic, and who now won’t be able to make their Last Night debut (although both have appeared other Proms already). And for the disappointed tv viewers hoping to see Lise and Sheku, especially viewers who live too far from London, Birmingham or other cities abroad to attend their concerts in person. Not that money is the top consideration at times like this, but by cancelling the Last Night and Philadelphia Orchestra on Friday, the Proms and Royal Albert Hall have lost over £300,000 in ticket sales that they now have to refund concertgoers, while still having to pay the performers, and over £5 million in tv broadcasting rights (possibly £10 million if many bought live broadcast rights) that they now have to refund international tv stations and streaming services. I do find this a pity as even many friends of mine in America who don’t like classical music/ballet/opera will still watch LNOTP on BBC America, and similarly audiences in Japan, Korea, India, Australia, Brazil, etc etc.on their own channels. And with the energy and cost of living crisis in this country, we can’t afford to just give away such big sums of money. Who is going to make up the shortfall?- us. Licence fee payers and future Royal Albert Hall attendees. Not just the lost income, but people abroad would have looked to the BBC and the Proms to set the tone for mourning, tributes or appropriate reflection- would they play Scottish tunes associated with Balmoral, where she spent many happy holidays? Would they include some rarely heard swing or jazz which Her Majesty was said to have enjoyed? What about tunes from her wedding or coronation, or pieces significant in her life? - they managed to air these on Friday morning with very short notice on Radio 3 as they’d been researched and prepared in advance. The BBCSO are a world class ensemble like the LSO (with an extensive score library) and would have been able to play these with 12 hours’ notice, never mind 24 or 48hours. And the soloists themselves have many items in their repertoire (especially after performing various last minute charity benefits for Covid and the Ukraine invasion victims recently) that are reflective/sad that they can perform at short notice. Some of the original programme items were actually already sad/reflective ones. Very sad to have a compete void last night, with horror and action thrillers on BBC 2 and BBC Four instead of a powerful, reflective and dignified concert honouring Her Majesty. Edited September 11, 2022 by Emeralds 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emeralds Posted September 11, 2022 Share Posted September 11, 2022 21 hours ago, jmhopton said: If this link works, I thought this a lovely tribute from Carlos. Perhaps we should have a separate thread for the Queen. She did create the Royal Ballet and Birmingham Royal Ballet and people may have memories of seeing her or her mother at performances. The only time I've seen her at a performance (the only time I've ever seen her 'live) was at the 50th anniversary performance of Sleeping Beauty in 1996 (I think). It was a glitzy occasion with both the Queen and Ninette de Valois present. Just before the last act all the remaining performers of that first performance came on stage; (huge round of applause for Beryl Grey), and they all sat at the back of the stage for the last act. At the end all performers on stage turned and paid homage to them rather than the Lilac fairy and a shower of glitter came down. My memory of the Queen was when Ninette de Valois came on stage everyone (including the Queen ) gave her a standing ovation; not often anyone upstages the Queen! On the way out we all got a piece of 'wedding cake' in a box. A lovely, memorable evening. Thank you, jmhopton, for sharing that lovely memory. I have photos from souvenir books of her attending performances of ballet and other productions as a child, as a teen and as a young adult with her mother and her sister (and there was panto at the Opera House once - who knew!) ...on a few occasions, her father was also able to attend. There’s a sweet picture in the RB Sleeping Beauty souvenir programme for 2019/20 of the four of them, with Queen Mary, watching the premiere of the 1946 production. I still can’t believe she has gone. It feels very strange and unreal not having Her Majesty around. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaddieRose Posted September 11, 2022 Share Posted September 11, 2022 Here's a blog post about the 1946 Sleeping Beauty premiere with some photos: https://royalwatcherblog.com/2021/02/20/gala-performance-at-covent-garden-1946/ 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted September 11, 2022 Share Posted September 11, 2022 Some obituaries: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/obituaries/her-majesty-queen-elizabeth-ii-obituary/ https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/sep/08/queen-elizabeth-ii-obituary https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-61605149 https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/queen-elizabeth-ii-obituary-d9x0z05fk https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/08/world/europe/queen-elizabeth-dead.html?name=styln-queen-elizabeth®ion=TOP_BANNER&block=storyline_menu_recirc&action=click&pgtype=LegacyCollection&variant=show&is_new=false https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/queen-elizabeth-died-age-cause-obituary-b2101376.html https://www.express.co.uk/news/royal/1666596/Queen-dead-obituary-Queen-Elizabeth-II https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/9/8/queen-elizabeth-obituary 2 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suffolkgal Posted September 11, 2022 Share Posted September 11, 2022 My personal opinion is the the very last person who would have wanted the last night of the proms cancelled is HM The Queen. Being joyful is not disrespectful. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mary Posted September 11, 2022 Share Posted September 11, 2022 My friend who works for Macmillan was bewildered to be told to cancel a fund-raising Macmillan coffee morning and charity bike ride as a 'mark of respect'- Not what HMQ would have done, I feel sure. It does seem odd to cancel concerts and cause so very much trouble and money loss where it really can't be absorbed at the moment...ah well it's a strange time- but hard to believe the Queen would have wanted this. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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