London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Oct 30, 2025

Tributes paid to Queen before England v SA Test

Tributes paid to Queen before England v SA Test

Tributes were paid to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on day three of the third Test between England and South Africa at The Oval.

A minute's silence was observed before the national anthems, with God Save The King followed by sustained applause from the crowd.

Players from both sides and the match officials are wearing black armbands.

No play was possible on day one because of rain before day two was called off as a mark of respect.

The match has therefore begun on the third morning, with South Africa batting after England won the toss on Thursday.

There were discussions over extending the match into a sixth day on Tuesday but that was ultimately not deemed possible because of the tourists' plans to travel home.

The series is level at 1-1 after an innings victory apiece in the opening two matches.

Spectators attending the Kia Oval were asked to be in their seats 30 minutes before the scheduled start of 11:00 BST in order to observe the tributes to Her Majesty.

Similar tributes were paid later in the day, before England played India in the first women's Twenty20 international at Chester-le-Street.

Both teams observed a minute's silence, followed by a rendition of God Save The King.

England's women observed similar tributes to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II before their T20 against India


At The Oval, the players and umpires entered the field through a military guard of honour before the ground fell silent.

The period of silence was ended by a single chime of a bell from the highest ranking military official in attendance, Senior NCO Robert Brockelsby Miller of the Irish Guards.

Singer Laura Wright performed the anthems, firstly of South Africa before God Save The King, both a cappella. Movingly, the Oval crowd joined in with the new anthem of the United Kingdom.

Applause followed, only ended when James Anderson delivered the first ball of the match.

"It's always very special to stand on the ground and sing the national anthem and obviously today will have even more on it," England captain Ben Stokes told the BBC before play.

"The national anthem might be sung a little bit louder than it is normally, and rightly so.

"It's great knowing that we're going to be playing this game, not just for us but in memory of the Queen, so it's a very special occasion for us."

The Oval sits on land owned by the Duchy of Cornwall, responsibility of which is passed on to the new Duke of Cornwall, the Prince of Wales.

Spectators have been prevented from attending in fancy dress for the remainder of the match and sales at bars are restricted to two drinks per person.

Players and officials entered the field of play through a military guard of honour

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
UK and Vietnam Sign Landmark Migration Deal to Fast-Track Returns of Irregular Arrivals
UK Drug-Pricing Overhaul Essential for Life-Sciences Ambition, Says GSK Chief
Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie Temporarily Leave the UK Amid Their Parents’ Royal Fallout
UK Weighs Early End to Oil and Gas Windfall Tax as Reeves Seeks Investment Commitments
UK Retail Inflation Slows as Shop Prices Fall for First Time Since Spring
Next Raises Full-Year Profit Guidance After Strong Third-Quarter Performance
Reform UK’s Lee Anderson Admits to 'Gaming' Benefits System While Advocating Crackdown
United States and South Korea Conclude Major Trade Accord Worth $350 Billion
Hurricane Melissa Strikes Cuba After Devastating Jamaica With Record Winds
Vice President Vance to Headline Turning Point USA Campus Event at Ole Miss
U.S. Targets Maritime Narco-Routes While Border Pressure to Mexico Remains Limited
Bill Gates at 70: “I Have a Real Fear of Artificial Intelligence – and Also Regret”
Elon Musk Unveils Grokipedia: An AI-Driven Alternative to Wikipedia
Saudi Arabia Unveils Vision for First-Ever "Sky Stadium" Suspended Over Desert Floor
Amazon Announces 14 000 Corporate Job Cuts as AI Investment Accelerates
UK Shop Prices Fall for First Time Since March, Food Leads the Decline
London Stock Exchange Group ADR (LNSTY) Earns Zacks Rank #1 Upgrade on Rising Earnings Outlook
Soap legend Tony Adams, long-time star of Crossroads, dies at 84
Rachel Reeves Signals Tax Increases Ahead of November Budget Amid £20-50 Billion Fiscal Gap
NatWest Past Gains of 314% Spotlight Opportunity — But Some Key Risks Remain
UK Launches ‘Golden Age’ of Nuclear with £38 Billion Sizewell C Approval
UK Announces £1.08 Billion Budget for Offshore Wind Auction to Boost 2030 Capacity
UK Seeks Steel Alliance with EU and US to Counter China’s Over-Capacity
UK Struggles to Balance China as Both Strategic Threat and Valued Trading Partner
Argentina’s Markets Surge as Milei’s Party Secures Major Win
British Journalist Sami Hamdi Detained by U.S. Authorities After Visa Revocation Amid Israel-Gaza Commentary
King Charles Unveils UK’s First LGBT+ Armed Forces Memorial at National Memorial Arboretum
At ninety-two and re-elected: Paul Biya secures eighth term in Cameroon amid unrest
Racist Incidents Against UK Nurses Surge by 55%
UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves Cites Shared Concerns With Trump Administration as Foundation for Early US-UK Trade Deal
Essentra plc: A Closer Look at a UK ‘Penny Stock’ Opportunity Amid Market Weakness
U.S. and China Near Deal to Avert Rare-Earth Export Controls Ahead of Trump-Xi Summit
Justin time: Justin Herbert Shields Madison Beer with Impressive Reflex at Lakers Game
Russia’s President Putin Declares Burevestnik Nuclear Cruise Missile Ready for Deployment
Giuffre’s Memoir Alleges Maxwell Claimed Sexual Act with Clooney
House Republicans Move to Strip NYC Mayoral Front-Runner Zohran Mamdani of U.S. Citizenship
Record-High Spoiled Ballots Signal Voter Discontent in Ireland’s 2025 Presidential Election
Philippines’ Taal Volcano Erupts Overnight with 2.4 km Ash Plume
Albania’s Virtual AI 'Minister' Diella Set to 'Birth' Eighty-Three Digital Assistants for MPs
Tesla Unveils Vision for Optimus V3 as ‘Biggest Product of All Time’, Including Surgical Capabilities
Francis Ford Coppola Auctions Luxury Watches After Self-Financed Film Flop
Convicted Sex Offender Mistakenly Freed by UK Prison Service Arrested in London
United States and China Begin Constructive Trade Negotiations Ahead of Trump–Xi Summit
U.S. Treasury Sanctions Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro over Drug-Trafficking Allegations
Miss USA Crowns Nebraska’s Audrey Eckert Amid Leadership Overhaul
‘I Am Not Done’: Kamala Harris Signals Possible 2028 White House Run
NBA Faces Integrity Crisis After Mass Arrests in Gambling Scandal
Swift Heist at the Louvre Sees Eight French Crown Jewels Stolen in Under Seven Minutes
U.S. Halts Trade Talks with Canada After Ontario Ad Using Reagan Voice Triggers Diplomatic Fallout
Microsoft AI CEO: ‘We’re making an AI that you can trust your kids to use’ — but can Microsoft rebuild its own trust before fixing the industry’s?
×