London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Tuesday, Sep 15, 2026

Newspaper headlines: 'Our last farewell' and 'thank you ma'am'

Newspaper headlines: 'Our last farewell' and 'thank you ma'am'

Monday's front pages are wholly dedicated to Queen Elizabeth ahead of her state funeral in Westminster.

The Daily Telegraph carries the same photo of the Queen taken at Windsor Castle in May. The paper notes that she is wearing aquamarine clip brooches given to her by her parents on her 18th birthday in 1944.


The i sums up the day with its headline: "World's farewell to Elizabeth II". It says hundreds of thousands are gathering in London for the biggest state funeral in history, with billions expected to watch around the globe.


The Metro has a simple but striking front page, depicting the Queen in her younger years alongside the words: "Thank you Ma'am".


The Daily Mail leads on King Charles saying he was "moved beyond measure" by the UK's outpouring of grief at his mother's death. It marries a photograph of the Queen waving with its headline: "Our last farewell".


The Times leads on the same story with the headline "Charles gives thanks" alongside a picture of him sharing a lighter moment with Prime Minister Liz Truss at Buckingham Palace on Sunday. Elsewhere, the paper reports that about 10,000 police officers will be on duty today, as more than two million people are expected to descend on the capital.


The Guardian picks out details from the funeral plans, saying Prince George and Princess Charlotte, who are now second and third in line to the throne, will follow their parents - the Prince and Princess of Wales - as the Queen's coffin is carried through Westminster Abbey.


Never passing up the opportunity for word play, the Daily Star leads on the UK holding a one-minute silence for the Queen with the headline: "Kingdom United!"


The Financial Times devotes the top of its front page to a black and white photograph of the Queen lying in state. However, its main story is about the downturn in the stock market causing "the longest drought in US technology listings this century".

A final portrait of Queen Elizabeth II appears on many of the front pages. The photograph, taken in May, shows her smiling, dressed in pale blue, wearing her characteristic pearls. It's captioned "Happy and Glorious" in the Daily Mirror, in the Daily Express: "Farewell our Glorious Queen", The Daily Telegraph: "A life of selfless service." The Sun frames the image in black, with the headline "God Bless".

The i looks ahead to what it says will be the "biggest state funeral in history" that'll be watched by billions around the world. The Daily Mail estimates that four billion - or half the planet's population - will see it. It picks up the Queen's global recognition in its front page headline "the world prepares to join our last farewell".

The Financial Times puts forward the view that no-one can emulate the Queen's levels of soft power. It suggests that a post-imperial and post-Brexit UK will need to seek and nurture other sources.

The Guardian notes that the Queen's great grandchildren, Prince George and Princess Charlotte, will walk behind her coffin. The Telegraph suggests they'll be the youngest children to take a central role in such an occasion. A source tells the Mail that their parents, the Prince and Princess of Wales, thought "long and hard" about whether the nine and seven-year-olds should attend.

The Daily Star speaks on its front page of the "Kingdom United" as millions joined a minute of silence last night in memory of the Queen. While the Sun pays tribute to what it describes as the more than 400,000 souls who devotedly braved the wait to see her coffin.

In other news, there's more speculation about the budget - with the Sun suggesting Liz Truss plans to cut the basic rate of income tax to 19p in the pound. The Times reports on economic analysis that suggests the aim to lower national insurance contributions will leave the poorest three million households only 63p better off each month.

The Express says the UK is bracing for a rise in flu cases after a spike in Australia. And there's a warning in the Star that the price of milk could soon exceed that of petrol per litre.

Finally the Mail says there's been a run on black hats in London ahead of the funeral. The paper suggests that even Princess Beatrice was affected by the shortage, being turned away empty handed from a department store in Bond Street.


Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
UK Doctors Warn Expanded Pharmacy First Scheme Could Put Patients at Risk
British Airlines Cut Short-Haul Capacity as Jet Fuel Costs Rise
UK News Publishers Forecast 40% Search Traffic Drop as AI Overviews Expand
Axel Springer Wins Approval for £575 Million Daily Telegraph Acquisition
London Mayor Sadiq Khan Opposes Heathrow Third Runway Over Climate Targets
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland Leaders Hold Summit Seeking Greater Autonomy
UK Energy Price Cap Set to Rise to £1,723 in October
UK Treasury Warns Middle East Conflict Is Threatening Economic Growth
Labour Moves to Retrospectively Cap Overseas Political Donations After Reform UK Funding Surge
HMRC Warns Nearly Seven Million Adults Are Unclear About State Pension Entitlements
UK Parliament Passes Sovereign Grant Reform Before Conference Recess
British Rail Passengers Gain Automatic Right to Switch Operators During Disruptions
Burnham Hosts Downing Street Business Summit as UK Fiscal Pressure Builds
Labour Government Moves to Challenge £72 Million in Reform UK Crypto Donations
UK Advertising Industry Warns Wider Junk Food Rules Could Put £1 Billion in Media Spending at Risk
Cornwall Opens Devolution Talks With UK Government Over Transport and Local Services
UK Parliament Considers Sovereign Grant Reform Setting Royal Funding at £99.9 Million
Trades Union Congress Calls for Income-Based Energy Tariff Funded by Higher Bank Levy
UK Prime Minister Rejects Second Scottish Independence Referendum
House of Lords Begins Scrutiny of Bill to Lower UK Voting Age to 16
Anthropic Says Claude Was Exploited in Weapons-Related and State-Linked Cyber Activity
Institute of Directors Urges UK Government to Avoid Business Tax Increases in Autumn Budget
Rising Gilt Yields Cut UK Fiscal Headroom to About £13 Billion Ahead of Budget
UK Economy Grows 0.4% in July as Services and Technology Activity Strengthen
UK Government Promises Clearer Student Loan Guidance After Repayment Backlash
Charities Warn Unpaid Carers May Die Before Receiving Government Compensation
Dover Unrest Prompts Review of UK Counter-Extremism Strategy
Celtic Summit Leaders Reassert Right to Pursue Independence From UK
NHS Records Busiest Summer on Record Amid Severe Heatwaves
Harrods Faces Potential £150 Million Compensation Bill Over Al Fayed Abuse Claims
UK Parliament Opens Debate on Landmark Assisted Dying Legislation
Metropolitan Police Investigate Reform UK Over Alleged Foreign Electoral Donations
UK Economy Expands 0.4% in July as AI Investment Boosts Activity
Bank of England Signals Caution on Rates as Inflation Pressures Persist
Tesco Alerts Police After Scammers Use Its Branding in AI-Generated Fraud
Lindy Cameron Appointed First Female Permanent Under-Secretary at UK Foreign Office
UK Government to Rewrite Student Loan Guidance After Mis-Selling Criticism
Welsh First Minister Warns Andy Burnham Government to Respect Devolution
Trump’s Falkland Islands Remarks Trigger New Diplomatic Tension With Britain
Reform UK Receives Record £72 Million Donation From Cryptocurrency Billionaires
UK Bans Imports From Israeli West Bank Settlements and Sanctions Supporting Institutions
Bayeux Tapestry Draws Large Crowds at British Museum
Cuts to International Aid Raise Concerns Over Fragile Overseas Health Systems
UK Airlines and Logistics Operators Adjust Capacity as Fuel Costs Rise
UK Mortgage Arrears Edge Lower in Second Quarter
UK Government Advances New Devolution Offers for English Councils
UK Parliament Begins Debate on NHS Governance and Single Patient Record Reforms
Andy Burnham Launches Number 10 North Devolution Initiative
UK Parliament Rejects Assisted Dying Bill for Terminally Ill Adults
UK Bans Goods From Israeli Settlements in the Occupied West Bank
×