Breaking: Her Majesty The Queen has died - Hitchin pays tribute to the late Elizabeth II who has sadly passed aged 96

By Layth Yousif 8th Sep 2022

Breaking: Her Majesty The Queen has died.

Queen Elizabeth II has died aged 96.

The UK's longest reigning monarch passed away only days after meeting new Prime Minister Liz Truss in what was her final act as the country's figurehead.

Initial news regarding her wellbeing emerged on Thursday (September 8) lunchtime, with doctors said to be concerned for Her Majesty's, prior to her health rapidly deteriorating.

Prince Charles and Camilla raced to Balmoral, along with Prince William who left Windsor to be with his grandmother. While Prince Andrew, Princess Anne and Prince Edward also travelled to the Balmoral estate on Thursday.

The Queen cancelled a Privy Council meeting to be held on Zoom on Wednesday night after doctors asked her to rest.

Earlier this week Queen Elizabeth II presided over the transition of power from Boris Johnson to Liz Truss at Balmoral, her Scottish highland castle.

The monarch had been suffering from 'mobility issues' for many months.

IN HAPPIER TIMES: THE QUEEN WITH HER FAMILY ON THE BALCONY AT BUCKINGHAM PALACE ON HER 90th BIRTHDAY

Hitchin marked the 70th anniversary of The Queen's reign in June, with hundreds of people gathering in Market Place to experience the celebrations, with many singing 'God Save The Queen', 'Jerusalem' and 'Land of Hope and Glory'.

Aged 96, the Queen represented stability and continuity for the United Kingdom, from the early 1950s to the 21st century. Many in Hitchin were also present the day the monarch visited Hitchin's market square during the wonderful summer of 2012.

Long-serving former town centre boss Keith Hoskins MBE shared his grief with Nub News. Mr Hoskins who was awarded the MBE for his services to Hitchin by the Queen back in 2015 spoke moving about his recollections of Her Majesty.

"Hitchin has such overwhelmingly fond memories of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, most recently from her Diamond Jubilee visit in 2012 which occurred on the sunniest of days during her nationwide tour," said Keith.

"The town was absolutely packed and the visit captured on film which can be seen on Youtube.

"But of course, royal connections went back much further than that and there is a picture on file of the young Princess Elizabeth coming out from a shop with her parents in the 1930s.

"So her ties to the town, which were shared by her mother Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, were strong and she remarked upon them to me at Windsor Castle in 2015 when I was honoured there with an MBE - her affection for Hitchin was obvious."

THE QUEEN AWARDING THE MBE TO TIRELESS HITCHIN ADVOCATE KEITH HOSKINS AT WINDSOR CASTLE IN 2015