‘A life in service’: How front pages reported Queen’s death

First editions of newspapers after death of Queen Elizabeth II praised royal’s fortitude and loyalty

Some of the most iconic pictures of the Queen dominated the front pages of newspapers in the UK and around the world as Britain mourned Elizabeth II, who passed away on Thursday at the age of 96.

The first editions of the daily papers commemorated Britain’s longest-ruling monarch with emotional headlines: “A life in service”, “Our hearts are broken”, and “Grief is the price we pay for love”.

The Times splashed a striking picture of the Queen from her coronation ceremony in 1957 accompanied by the words: “A life in service”. Its obituary reflected on how her life was “an era of vast social, material and technological change”. It said “she was the woman who saved the monarchy in this country”.

Its back page marked a quotation from her Christmas broadcast in 1957: “I cannot lead you into battle. I do not give you laws or administer justice but I can do something else: I can give you my heart and my devotion to all these old islands, and to all the peoples of our brotherhood of nations.”

The Daily Telegraph carried the words she said to condole the victims of the 9/11 attacks in America: “Grief is the price we pay for love.”

Its obituary said the Queen had a “calm presence”, and described her as “steadfast” and “self-effacing”. It also showcased a 2-page pictorial tribute to Her Majesty.

While The Guardian had the power portrait of the Queen from the start of her reign with the words Queen Elizabeth II 1926-2022, The Independent shared a wordless cover also with the same picture.

The Sun changed its usual red banner to regal purple to pay tribute with the words: “We loved you Ma’am”. It showcased a black and white portrait of the Queen in her later years with a slight smile on her face. The newspaper said her death marks “an end to her historic reign” and has caused an “outpouring of grief” in the UK.

Choosing a more recent picture of the Queen, the Mirror’s front page simply said: “Thank You”. Inside it said the “nation begins to come to terms with the loss of the 96-year-old monarch”.

With the entire front page covered in a monochrome picture of the Queen, the Daily Express said: “Our beloved Queen is dead.” The paper said Britons are mourning “the loss of a truly great and inspirational monarch”. It said the streets are “united in grief” as “weeping crowds” sang the national anthem outside Buckingham Palace.

In Scotland, where the Queen died, the Herald shared a full page picture of her and quoted First Minister Nicola Sturgeon as saying that the Queen’s death marked the “end of an era”. It published a 32-page commemorative tribute.

Meanwhile, broadcasters and newspapers around the world joined the UK in mourning the loss of a “stalwart”.

News Corp, an American broadcaster, ran a 24-page commemorative magazine tribute to the “Queen of all our hearts” across its stable of mastheads, which includes Sydney’s The Daily Telegraph, the Herald Sun in Melbourne and Brisbane’s The Courier Mail.

Nine, which oversees the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, looked at how Australia will mark the Queen‘s death.