5 Things You Need To Know About The Queen's Death For September 9

Good morning — Andrew from Narcity here with a special edition of the Canada Morning Brief. ☕

Off The Top: Queen Elizabeth II died at age 96 yesterday, ending her historically long 70-year reign as monarch of the United Kingdom and numerous additional Commonwealth nations.

There will be plenty of time to unpack her legacy — both the positives and negatives — in the weeks and years to come. I have my own thoughts about her impact; for today's Morning Brief, I'm going to try to keep the snark to a minimum.

In Case You Missed It

1. God Save The King: The Prince of Wales Is Now King Charles III

After decades of being the heir apparent, Prince Charles, the eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II and the late Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, has acceded to the throne as king of the United Kingdom. Though he possessed a number of options for his regnal name — that is, his official title — the U.K.'s new monarch has opted to keep his name: King Charles III. Josh Elliott has more details on how we learned of the slightly new stylization.

• Context: Because of the poor historical standing of King Charles I and King Charles II, it's been suggested over the years that Queen Elizabeth II's successor might opt to go by either of his three other names: George, Philip or Arthur. Some iteration of King Arthur certainly would have been a bold choice; alas, King Charles III it is.

2. Camilla Got A Prestigious New Title; That Wasn't Always The Plan

With Charles no longer the Prince of Wales, he will eventually confer that particular title to his own heir apparent: his eldest son, Prince William. In the interim, Prince William and his wife Kate Middleton will now be known as the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and Cambridge.

• However: The bigger change in titles comes with King Charles III's second wife, Camilla Parker Bowles. After Charles' first wife Diana died in 1997, Camilla reportedly agreed to keep the title of Princess of Wales in the event of Charles' accession; Queen Elizabeth II revised that plan earlier this year, clearing the way for: Camilla, Queen Consort.

3. Who Was Missing From The Queen's Side When She Passed?

Prince Harry, who is now fifth in the line of succession to the throne behind Prince William and his brother's three children, attempted to join Queen Elizabeth II's side at Balmoral Castle in Scotland but was unable to arrive in time before her passing.

• Who Else? Though they were initially reported to be joining the fading queen's side with their husbands, Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cornwall and Cambridge, and Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, both ultimately opted against making the trip.

4. Here's How Leaders Across The World & In Canada Reacted To The News

As you'd expect, tributes to Queen Elizabeth II poured in from across the globe. U.S. President Joe Biden noted that "she led Britain through great transformations with unfailing grace." And even the heads of state of nations with long and contentious relationships with England — like Ireland and India — expressed sympathies. Sameen Chaudhry takes us globetrotting through all the reactions.

• At Home: Naturally, Canadian leaders responded to the news as well. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau got emotional during a brief press conference, calling the late queen "one of my favourite people in the world." Premiers Doug Ford, François Legault, John Horgan and Jason Kenney all issued statements, too.

5. But What Exactly Does This Really Mean For Us In Canada?

This obviously hasn't happened in a very long time but when the sovereign dies, usual tradition is to declare a Day of Mourning — essentially a statutory holiday — the day after the funeral, which itself usually takes place 10 days following the king or queen's passing. However, reports indicate that the U.K. won't declare a holiday if the funeral falls on a weekend — the current expectation; if the U.K. itself doesn't get the day off work, chances are Canada won't either, Helena Hanson writes, although that would be a pretty big divergence from tradition.

• Money Matters: While the Royal Canadian Mint will eventually start circulating new designs featuring King Charles III, all existing $20 bills and coins featuring Queen Elizabeth II remain legal tender. As for design elements, the Mint tells Lisa Belmonte that that is the "exclusive jurisdiction" of the federal government.
• Passports: Eagle-eyed travellers were quick to note that Canada's passports refer to "Her Majesty The Queen" on the very first page. Don't expect yesterday's news to force you to line up for a new passport but like a litany of other official government documents that contain reference to the queen, these will be changed in time, Janice Rodrigues writes.
• Finally: If all this sounds like big business, it is. One study estimated the cost of the crown to Canada at $58.7 million for a 12-month span from 2019-20. Costs largely stem from the lieutenant governor system, through which the king or queen is represented in Canada year-round. Here's how that works.

Thanks for reading this special edition of Narcity's Canada Morning Brief — and a special shoutout to my colleagues (particularly senior global editor Josh Elliott) for doing great work on what ended up being a pretty monumental day.

Let me know what you thought about today's edition at andrew.potter@narcity.com or contact me on Twitter if you'd prefer at @andrewjoepotter.

Have a great weekend. I will see you back here on Monday with our regular programming.