The Royal Family’s official account on Twitter was the first to announce Queen Elizabeth II’s passing after 70 years in power.
Two minutes prior to the BBC’s own statement on the platform at 6.30 p.m. local time, @RoyalFamily tweeted that the long-serving queen had “died peacefully at Balmoral.”
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. pic.twitter.com/VfxpXro22W
— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) September 8, 2022
It highlights how much the family’s method of communication has changed, particularly in the last years of the Queen’s reign, that Twitter was picked as the initial vector for the news. Known for using formality and grandeur to bolster the monarchy’s authority,
King Charles III and his wife Camilla, who is likely to assume the title of Queen Consort, are frequent users of Facebook and Twitter, demonstrating how adeptly the Windsors have adapted to online communication.
How the world found out Queen Elizabeth had died
(All timings in UK local time)
12:32 p.m. Statement issued by Buckingham Palace to media on concerns about health of the Queen
12:34 p.m. Royal Family Twitter account posts statement on the Queen being put under medical supervision due to health concerns
12:37 p.m. UK Prime Minister Liz Truss tweets that her thoughts are with the Queen and her family
12:55 – 56 p.m. BBC News reports that members of the Queen’s family including Prince Charles and Prince William are traveling to Balmoral
4:30 p.m. UK Prime Minister Liz Truss is informed of the Queen’s death
6:30 p.m. Royal Family Twitter account publicly announces the Queen has “died peacefully”
6:31 p.m. Press Association posts Buckingham Palace’s statement on Twitter
6:32 p.m. BBC News announces on Twitter the death of the Queen
7:04 p.m. King Charles III makes a statement on his mother’s death via the Royal Family Twitter account
