Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II has died
Buckingham Palace has announced the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
The monarch died today (Thursday, September 8) at the age of 96. The country will now enter a period of national mourning.
Her eldest son, Charles, has now become King Charles III and he and Camilla, the Queen Consort, will remain at Balmoral tonight before returning to London tomorrow.
Born Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor in Mayfair in 1926, Queen Elizabeth came to the throne in 1952, aged just 25, following the death of her father King George VI.
Her 70-year reign made her the longest reigning British monarch and the longest serving female head of state.
When she was born on April 21, 1926, she was third in line to the throne and was not expected to become Queen.
But 10 years later in December 1936 her uncle – King Edward VIII – abdicated and her father took to the throne.
She spent her early years at 145 Picadilly in London and at White Lodge in Richmond Park.
She married the Duke of Edinburgh Prince Philip in 1947. He died in April 2021.
They had four children, eight grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren.
Their first son, Charles, was born in 1948, followed by his sister, the Princess Royal, Princess Anne, in 1950, the Duke of York, Prince Andrew, in 1960 and the Earl of Wessex, Prince Edward, in 1964.
During her reign, the Queen visited West Berkshire and North Hampshire on many occasions.
Before she became Queen, the then Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh, paid a private visit to Highclere Castle in July 1949, along with her husband the Duke of Edinburgh and her sister Princess Margaret.
Reporting the visit at the time, the NWN said: "Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret arrived at Highclere Castle in time for lunch on Saturday.
"They motored through Newbury just about one o'clock and the cars entered the Park by Chericot Lodge."
The Queen has been a frequent visitor to Newbury Racecourse over the decades, meeting trainers and jockeys and enjoying successes, with her own horses winning key races.
Over the last decade in particular her trips to the races have been caught on camera, most especially at the meeting which is always held on the weekend near her birthday, April 21.
Queen Elizabeth II attended the Newbury races in March 1957. This was the first royal visit to the course since King George V saw his horse, Limelight, win the Spring Cup in 1933.
On May 26, 1972, Queen Elizabeth II arrived by train at Newbury Racecourse Station for her first visit to the town centre and to St Bartholomew's Grammar School, followed by an afternoon visit to the Institute for Research into Animal Diseases at Compton.
When the Queen arrived at the station she was greeted by 170 schoolchildren, aged six to 14, from the Greenham Common US airbase waving Union flags.
She had been on a walkabout twice in Newbury, in 1972 and 1996, where she greeted members of the public.
In 1972 Wilfred Cannings welcomed the Queen before she visited St Bartholomew's Grammar School.
In 1996 she also visited the town hall where she was shown a display from the Newbury Weekly News by the newspaper's chairman Donald Willis.
The Queen then opened Newbury Racecourse's Berkshire Stand in 1992.
Her horse Pall Mall won the first ever running of Newbury Racecourse's signature Flat race back in 1958.
The race, now known as the Al Shaqab Lockinge Stakes, was won this year by the unbeaten Baaeed (May 14), whose bloodline can be traced back to the filly and broodmare Feola, who was purchased for King George V in 1934 and then passed on to Queen Elizabeth when she inherited the Royal Studs.
Another of the Queen's horses, Highclere, won at Newbury as a two-year-old and then went on to win the prestigious 1000 Guineas and the Prix de Diane the following year, while also finishing second in the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes.
The current 8th Earl of Carnarvon (George Herbert) is her godson.
She has always been fond of Highclere Castle, the home of Geordie’s late father, the 7th Earl and former Lord Porchester. 'Porchie' was The Queen's racing manager and close friend. She has been a frequent visitor to Highclere over the years.
In 1995, the Queen visited the church of St Mary's at Kintbury and greeted many well wishes during her walk through the village.
In 2003, The Queen visited St Nicolas Church, Newbury.
In June 2007, she paid Pangbourne College a visit for a memorial service commemorating the 25th anniversary of the Falklands War.
In 2008, the Queen and Prince Philip visited Vodafone's Newbury headquarters, watched by many of the hundreds employed there and were given a demonstration in the latest in telecommunications at the time.
In February 2017, The Queen sent a congratulatory message to the Newbury Weekly News when it celebrated its 150th birthday.
The personal message read: “Please convey my warm congratulations to all at Newbury Weekly News as they celebrate their One-Hundred and Fiftieth Anniversary.
“On this notable occasion, I have pleasure in sending my best wishes to all concerned. ELIZABETH R.”
The Queen celebrated a win for her horse Call to Mind at the Dubai Duty Free Spring Trials in 2017.
She again visited Pangbourne College to celebrate its centenary with the Duke of Edinburgh in 2017.
In April, the Queen's horse, Perfect Alibi, was victorious in the Maiden Fillies' Stakes at Newbury. This was Hungerford-based jockey Tom Marquand's 12th winner for the monarch.
These are just some of the many memories we have of the Queen in West Berkshire and North Hampshire. God bless you Ma'am.
