The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral on Thursday, September 8, 2022, as her reign as Britain's longest-serving monarch came to a close.
Buckingham Palace said in a statement: "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. " Queen Elizabeth has reigned as monarch for 70 years and ascended to the throne after her father, King George VI died in 1952.
During her lifetime, Her Majesty made numerous visits to Merseyside. In tribute, we take a look back at the night The Queen visited Liverpool for the 2007 Royal Variety Show.
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Taking place the year before Liverpool celebrated its title of European Capital of Culture, the Empire Theatre played host to a glorious celebration of the city’s rebirth. The first Liverpool Royal Variety Show began and ended with Beatles’ songs, had a veteran Scouse comedy at its core and contained a myriad of mentions for Merseyside as the dynamo of British showbusiness down the ages, the Liverpool ECHO previously reported.
That evening, The Queen arrived at Liverpool’s Empire Theatre to a huge cheer from crowds. Dressed from head to toe in white and silver, The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh were led by Lord Mayor Paul Clark to greet city dignitaries.
Among the line up were Lord and Lady Derby, council leader Warren Bradley, Bishop James Jones and Archbishop Patrick Kelly. During the show, The Queen was the subject of a good-natured joke or two. Comic Russell Brand said "everyone mistaking you for Helen Mirren", a reference to the actress who played The Queen in the then recent Oscar-winning movie.
But no matter how polished and rehearsed the format was, there were comedians who tested the frontiers of protocol. American Joan Rivers blurted out the F-word and Brand announced himself “sh***er of the year."
But it was a cheeky cartoon character Little Howard, projected onto a screen, who staring at the Queen and Prince Philip sitting in a newly-built royal box at the front of the theatre circle, deemed to ask: "Isn’t that the lady out of Prime Suspect?" But the real Queen seemed happy to play stooge.
Others on the bill that night were Liverpool comedian Jimmy Tarbuck. Bon Jovi, James Blunt, Enrique Iglesias, Michael Ball, Katherine Jenkins, Darcey Bussell and new and relatively unknown talent as well – including singer-songwriter David Jordan and Chinese pianist Lang Lang.
The people’s choice act of the night was opera singer Paul Potts, winner of ITV’s Britain’s Got Talent, and introduced by the programme’s judges, Amanda Holden and Piers Morgan, led by X-Factor motor-mouth Simon Cowell.
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The three-hour show began with a touch of spine-tingling pageantry as cavalry trumpeters, in full livery, gave a fanfare for the singing of the national anthem led by Dame Kiri Te Kanawa. Philip Schofield, co-hosting with former X-Factor presenter Kate Thornton, later proclaimed the Empire-hosted event "the ultimate accolade for any performer in the most prestigious variety show in the world."
To see more images from that evening, see our gallery below.
After the performance the Queen and Prince Philip met the artists on stage and Her Majesty exited through the stalls of the theatre. Comic Russell Brand, who joked about making a play for the Queen’s granddaughter Zara Phillips, said afterwards: "It was lovely to meet the Queen. When I was thinking what to say I remembered my nan is still alive and there is a lot of things I would be too embarrassed to say in front of her.
“You must be respectful of an elderly woman. I have enjoyed my visit to Liverpool, the night has been most agreeable."
Do these awaken any memories for you? Let us know in the comments section below.
Paul Potts, winner of reality TV show Britain’s Got Talent, at the time said: "It is incredible to be here. It is a dream come true." And Simon Cowell, said: "The Queen said she was very impressed with him."
Following the sad news of the Queen's death on Thursday, a predesigned plan known as Operation London Bridge has now been put into place.
This sets out exactly what will happen in the coming days ahead of Her Majesty's funeral - and during the official mourning period. The day of the Queen's death is referred to as D-Day, with the coming days to be referred to as D-Day plus the number of days that have passed since her death.
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