Queen Elizabeth II was the leader and monarch of the United Kingdom for a historic seven decades.
Famous around the world, she was the face of our country and the nation’s longest-reigning monarch.
Her death saw an outpouring of grief in the UK and overseas following her death on September 8, 2022 aged 96. The United Kingdom went into national mourning for ten days.
Millions watched her state funeral and we are fast approaching the first anniversary of her passing.
Being such a monumental figure in the UK’s history, it has now led to people asking whether the date of her passing will be made a bank holiday, to allow the nation to remember Queen Elizabeth II.
So will September 8 be made a bank holiday for 2023?
Unfortunately, the answer is no. There are no current plans to mark the date of the Queen’s death with a bank holiday.
The United Kingdom saw a period of mourning immediately following her death and then we were granted a public bank holiday for the state funeral on September 19, 2022.
But there are no plans to make the date an annual bank holiday. It was considered a one-off - similar to the one given earlier this year on Monday, May 8 for the Coronation of King Charles.
Could it be changed to make it a bank holiday?
At present, there are no plans but there is a petition arguing for that very thing.
The Change.Org page says: “Queen Elizabeth II is our longest reigning Monarch, and arguably the nation’s and the world’s most popular ever Monarch. In the words of President Macron, “to you, she was your Queen, to us, she was THE Queen…The most constant symbol of Great Britain.”
It currently has over 159,000 signatures, but it is deemed unlikely that it will be made a bank holiday.
How will the Royals pay tribute to Queen Elizabeth II on the year anniversary of her death?
It is expected the family will privately remember the former helm of the family with their own remembrance.
However, we could expect to see tributes paid publicly via statements and on social media to mark the date of her passing.
King Charles shared a sweet picture of them together for his first Mother’s Day without her with the caption: “To all mothers everywhere, and to those who may be missing their mums today, we are thinking of you and wishing you a special #MothersDay.”
