A British woman shared a photograph of a cloud formation resembling Queen Elizabeth II floating over an English town, hours after Buckingham Palace announced that the Queen, 96, has died peacefully on Thursday. Leanne Bethell, who lives in Telford in England's west Midlands, shared the photo on Facebook that resembles the Queen's face.
The image has gone viral in the hours since it was shared on Thursday evening. At the time of publishing, the post has recorded more than 20,000 likes and reactions, 9600 comments and over 33,000 shares. On Thursday evening at 6.30 pm GMT, the Royal Family confirmed that the Queen died "peacefully" in Balmoral Castle in Scotland.
Almost a Miracle
Bethell said her daughter, Lacey, was first to point out the glowing figure, shouting "oh my God" repeatedly. "Driving home and Lacey starts shouting OMG! I panicked," Bethell said on Facebook.
"She then pointed at the sky and said mum, it's the Queen - so I had to pull over and take some pictures."
Brits immediately voiced their opinions about the strange cloud structure. "You only see it if you look for it. Maybe it is a sign or maybe we are just looking for a sign from above, who really knows," one user wrote.
"All I do know is this lady devoted her life to us so with the utmost respect. R.I.P Queen Elizabeth II," wrote another user.
"My girly Liz always watching over us," wrote a third user.
On Thursday afternoon, a double rainbow was also visible over Buckingham Palace as hundreds of mourners gathered to pay tribute to the Queen. The rare phenomenon took place in the skies when the clouds parted following widespread downpours over the metropolis.
Rare Phenomenon
After the palace revealed that the adored monarch was receiving medical care, crowds started to gather outside Buckingham Palace, which only thickened after her death was confirmed at 6.30 p.m. Video caught the colorful rainbow flashing across the sky and over the Buckingham Palace fountain at that exact time.
Thursday marked the death of Queen Elizabeth II in Balmoral, Scotland, following months of health worries. Charles, William, and Andrew, three senior royals, flew to be by her side.
The double rainbow, on the other hand, left many believe that the Queen was watching them from the sky. "The rainbow at Windsor Castle made me cry. The rainbow Queen sent us a sign," wrote one Twitter user.
"A rainbow breaks out, as the Union Jack is lowered to half-mast at Windsor tonight. A remarkable image. Farewell, Ma'am," wrote another user.
Others saw the rainbows' appearance shortly after the news of the monarch's passing as proof that she had "truly left us."
The royal family reached Balmoral to say their final goodbyes in the hours before Queen Elizabeth died.
At 3.30 am AEST, a spokeswoman for Buckingham Palace issued a statement confirming her death, stating: "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."
A 10-day period of mourning will now begin in Britain and the Commonwealth states.
Prior to lying in state for four days in Westminster Hall at the Houses of Parliament, where hundreds of thousands of people will be able to pay their respects, the Queen's coffin will be transported to London on the royal train.
Queen Elizabeth II's family, as well as 2,000 heads of state, prime ministers, and presidents, European royals, and important leaders from public life around the world, are expected to attend the state funeral, which is scheduled to take place at Westminster Abbey in the heart of London on Monday, September 19.
