Marie Claire Marie Claire
  • Celebrity
  • Fashion
  • Beauty
  • Culture
  • Power
  • Nice Talk
  • Style at Large
  • More
    • Politics
    • Career & Money
    • Health & Fitness
    • Power Play
    • Travel
    • Promo Codes
    • Food & Cocktails
    • About Us
    • Subscribe
    • Sex & Love
  • Newsletter SIGN UP TO OUR NEWSLETTER
  • Marie Claire
    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!


    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    You are now subscribed

    Your newsletter sign-up was successful


    Want to add more newsletters?

    Marie Claire Daily

    Delivered daily

    Marie Claire Daily

    Get exclusive access to fashion and beauty trends, hot-off-the-press celebrity news, and more.

    Marie Claire Self Checkout

    Sent weekly on Saturday

    Marie Claire Self Checkout

    Exclusive access to expert shopping and styling advice from Nikki Ogunnaike, Marie Claire's editor-in-chief.

    Maire Claire Face Forward

    Once a week

    Maire Claire Face Forward

    Insider tips and recommendations for skin, hair, makeup, nails and more from Hannah Baxter, Marie Claire's beauty director.

    Livingetc

    Once a week

    Livingetc

    Your shortcut to the now and the next in contemporary home decoration, from designing a fashion-forward kitchen to decoding color schemes, and the latest interiors trends.

    Homes & Gardens

    Delivered Daily

    Homes & Gardens

    The ultimate interior design resource from the world's leading experts - discover inspiring decorating ideas, color scheming know-how, garden inspiration and shopping expertise.


    An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
    Trending
    • Modern Twinsets
    • October Books
    • 2026 Beauty Awards
    • 'Carrie'
    • Aritzia New Arrivals
    • Top-Handle Bags
    1. Celebrity
    2. Royals

    A Double Rainbow Appeared Over Buckingham Palace Shortly Before the Queen’s Death Was Announced

    Coincidence? We think not.

    Rachel Burchfield's avatar
    By Rachel Burchfield
    Published 8 September 2022 In News

    When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

    Rainbow
    (Image credit: Getty Images)
    • Facebook
    • X
    • Pinterest
    Share this article
    Join the conversation
    Follow us
    Add us as a preferred source on Google
    Subscribe to our newsletter

    The most beautiful occurrence happened over Buckingham Palace this afternoon—just one hour before the Queen’s death was announced, a double rainbow broke through the clouds and appeared in the skies over Buckingham Palace in London, Her Majesty’s residence for most of her historic 70-year reign.

    At the time, crowds had already gathered at the Palace after officials announced just after 12 p.m. London time that the Queen was “under medical supervision,” per The Mirror.

    After a heavy downpour, the double rainbow appeared, “giving comfort to those in the crowd who were eagerly awaiting an update,” the outlet reports.

    Latest Videos FromMarie Claire
    Watch full video here:

    At 6:30 p.m. London time, the Palace announced that Her Majesty “died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon.”

    The rainbow could be seen not just over the Palace but over major landmarks across London, including the Elizabeth Tower in Westminster and the Queen Victoria Memorial.

    You may like
    • Queen Elizabeth wearing a white tweed jacket and brooch looking out a window Queen Elizabeth Was "Hurt and Angered" By One Criticism of Her Reign
    • Queen Elizabeth shaking hands with a clergyman at Princess Diana's funeral Queen Elizabeth Was Blamed for Having a "Very Wrong" Reaction to Diana's Death
    • King Charles is in side profile and has white gray hair while wearing a gray pinstripe suit while his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, wears a turquoise blue coat dress and matching hat King Charles's "Hot Temper Flared" After The Queen's Death

    About 90 minutes before the announcement, a woman laid the first bouquet at the Palace just after 5 p.m. The crowd assembled outside of the Palace has grown to around 1,000 people, The Mirror reports. 

    King Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla are due to the Palace tomorrow. They remain at Balmoral for the rest of the evening.

    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!

    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    The rainbow, at least to this writer, serves as proof that, even in a dark hour, something altogether magical can appear.

    Explore More
    queen elizabeth II buckingham palace
    Rachel Burchfield
    Rachel Burchfield
    Social Links Navigation
    Senior Celebrity and Royals Editor

    Rachel Burchfield is a writer, editor, and podcaster whose primary interests are fashion and beauty, society and culture, and, most especially, the British Royal Family and other royal families around the world. She serves as Marie Claire’s Senior Celebrity and Royals Editor and has also contributed to publications like Allure, Cosmopolitan, Elle, Glamour, Harper’s Bazaar, InStyle, People, Vanity Fair, Vogue, and W, among others. Before taking on her current role with Marie Claire, Rachel served as its Weekend Editor and later Royals Editor. She is the cohost of Podcast Royal, a show that was named a top five royal podcast by The New York Times. A voracious reader and lover of books, Rachel also hosts I’d Rather Be Reading, which spotlights the best current nonfiction books hitting the market and interviews the authors of them. Rachel frequently appears as a media commentator, and she or her work has appeared on outlets like NBC’s Today Show, ABC’s Good Morning America, CNN, and more. 

    Read more
    King Charles is in side profile and has white gray hair while wearing a gray pinstripe suit while his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, wears a turquoise blue coat dress and matching hat
    Royals King Charles's "Hot Temper Flared" After The Queen's Death
    By Amy Mackelden
    Queen Elizabeth shaking hands with a clergyman at Princess Diana's funeral
    Royals Queen Elizabeth Was Blamed for Having a "Very Wrong" Reaction to Diana's Death
    By Kristin Contino
     
     
    Diana Princess Of Wales, Prince William & Prince Harry Visit The 'Thorpe Park' Amusement Park. (Photo by Julian Parker/UK Press via Getty Images)
    Royals A Major Event Honoring Princess Diana “Is Being Seriously Considered"
    By Kristin Contino
    Queen Elizabeth wears a lilac dress and matching hat
    Royals New Movie Might "Defy" a Royal Employee's "Gagging Order"
    By Amy Mackelden
     
     
    Latest in Royals
    Prince William putting his hand on Princess Kate's back
    Royals Prince William and Princess Kate Lean on One "Solid" Family Member
    Meghan Markle and Prince Harry visit the Royal Children's Hospital on April 14, 2026 in Melbourne, Australia.
    Royals Harry and Meghan's First Joint U.K. Appearance Has a Connection to Their Past
     
     
    Queen Elizabeth wearing a pink coat and hat walking next to Princess Kate
    Royals Queen Elizabeth Admired One Important Aspect of Kate Middleton's Life
    Princess Kate wearing her wedding gown and veil looking to the right
    Royals Princess Kate Had a Secret Fashion Fairy Godmother for Her Royal Wedding
     
     
    Latest in News
    Prince William putting his hand on Princess Kate's back
    Royals Prince William and Princess Kate Lean on One "Solid" Family Member
    Hailey Bieber modeled athletic looks for the Adanola x Hailey Bieber ballet-inspired collaboration
    Celebrity Style Hailey Bieber Awakens Her Inner Ballerina With New Adanola Collaboratoin
     
     
    Meghan Markle and Prince Harry visit the Royal Children's Hospital on April 14, 2026 in Melbourne, Australia.
    Royals Harry and Meghan's First Joint U.K. Appearance Has a Connection to Their Past
    Queen Elizabeth wearing a pink coat and hat walking next to Princess Kate
    Royals Queen Elizabeth Admired One Important Aspect of Kate Middleton's Life
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Marie Claire
    RSS
    • About us
    • Contact Future's experts
    • Contact us
    • Advertise Online
    • Newsletter
    • Terms and conditions
    • Privacy policy
    • Cookies policy
    • Careers
    Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google

    Marie Claire is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

    © Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.