The British meteorological community has posted several messages of condolence following the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on September 8, 2022, at Balmoral Castle, Scotland.
A statement on the Royal Meteorological Society’s website read, ‘We join with the rest of the world in our sadness to hear of the passing of Her Majesty The Queen. The Queen was our Patron of the Royal Meteorological Society for almost 50 years until she was succeeded by His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales in 2002. On behalf of our membership, we offer our sincere condolences to the Royal Family at this difficult time.
“We are incredibly proud to be a Royal Society for almost 140 years. It is an honor that Her Majesty The Queen served as our Patron for nearly 50 years from her succession, having taken on the role from her father, HM King George VI, until Patronage passed to His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales in 2002.”
Posting on its Twitter account, the UK Met Office said that it was ‘saddened by the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’ and that its ‘thoughts are with her family and all those affected by this news’. The Met Office said that as a mark of respect during this time of national mourning, it would only be posting daily forecasts and warnings.
A joint statement from John Hirst CBE, and Professor Ed Hill CBE, the chairman and chief executive of the UK’s National Oceanography Centre, said, “Like the rest of the country, and indeed the world, we are saddened by the death of Her Majesty The Queen and send our condolences to her family. As the National Oceanography Centre, we operate two Royal Research Ships for the nation, and are proud to represent the UK all over the world. We appreciate that The Queen and her family have inspired millions to become passionate about our Earth and environment, and are grateful for her many years of service and dedication.”
The University of Reading, which boasts one of the UK’s leading meteorological departments and is home to the ECMWF headquarters, parts of the UK Met Office, NERC National Centre for Atmospheric Sciences and NERC National Centre for Earth Observation, posted a statement from its vice chancellor, Professor Robert Van de Noort, on the university website. He said, “On behalf of the University of Reading, I wish to express our deep sorrow following the death of Her Majesty The Queen. Her Majesty served the United Kingdom, its overseas territories and nations of the Commonwealth with grace, humility and dedication throughout her 70-year reign as monarch. Among her many official roles, she was Visitor of the University of Reading. We extend our condolences to members of the Royal Family at this sad time.
“As a mark of respect, flags at our campuses have been lowered to half-mast and will remain at half-mast during the period of mourning. Books of condolence will be opened at all of our campuses, for all members of the university community to sign. At this moment of great national sadness, I hope you will use this time to seek comfort with your friends and families, as we all remember Her Majesty The Queen in our own way.”
