After 10 days of national mourning, Britain laid Queen Elizabeth II to rest in a state funeral ceremony laid thick with pomp, pageantry and symbolism. Guardian columnist Jonathan Freedland asks whether the nation has buried more than just a much-loved monarch, while Ian Jack reflects on the modern-day pilgrims who queued for hours last week just for a fleeting chance to file past the Queen’s coffin.
Then, in a special report, we consider the future of the Commonwealth under the stewardship of King Charles III. Our correspondents report from six key members of the “family of nations”, some of which view the royal transition as a chance to fundamentally rethink their often troubled relationships with the British monarchy.
“As we have reflected on the Queen’s reign and leadership of the country and the Commonwealth, so too is it right to look forward with anticipation at the chapter ahead,” says illustrator Eleanor Shakespeare of her montage for this week’s cover. “It feels hugely significant to visually document these profound and pivotal moments in history as they unfold.”
Have recent territorial regains by Ukraine shifted the war in Kyiv’s favour? It may be too soon to say, but it now seems clear Moscow’s military operation is beset by serious problems. Moscow correspondent Andrew Roth went to the Russian border city of Belgorod, where he found anxiety and bafflement over recent reversals. Then Isobel Koshiw and Lorenzo Tondo report from mass burial sites discovered in the recaptured city of Izium, where local people are searching for answers about missing loved ones.
When children first started flocking to YouTube, some seriously strange stuff started to appear – and after much outcry, the company found itself scrambling to fix the problem. Mark Bergen investigates why the video streaming giant’s content for kids suddenly got so odd.
We also catch up with Willow Smith, who opens up about the peculiarities of a musical career in the shadow of her famous parents, Will and Jada Pinkett Smith. And there’s a tribute from film critic Peter Bradshaw to Jean-Luc Godard, the French New Wave director who changed the course of cinema.
