Excerpt from a speech to the populace on the Third day of November 1913 by the Emperor Franz Joseph translated to English by Alexander Witt.
“It is our sad duty to announce to the people of the Empire the death of Empress Elisabeth of Bavaria my wife and your Empress of 59 years. She has died nobly after a vile attack by a Serbian Assassin named Bojan StojÅ¡ić.
Our beloved Sissi has been instrumental in support of this empire since 1865 when she arranged the Magyar agreement. Her constant cautions for soberness and civility has been a Godsend to the empire since the tragic events of 1868 which has cut us off from the rest of the world and saved us from Armageddon.
We wish to humbly ask you, our beloved people, for a period of mourning lasting one month during which time all Impirical offices shall be [insert custom here] and all flags shall fly at half-staff. We, ourselves, will recognize a year of mourning beginning today as is customary.
We know that you will truly miss your beloved Empress and we hear your calls for justice. Bojan StojÅ¡ić will stand trial for what he did and the empire will deal with him and any who helped him to the limit of its ability. This we swear to you our beloved people.”