Queen Elizabeth II UK’s longest-reigning monarch Passes on at 96
Buckingham Palace has announced that Queen Elizabeth II has died.
A statement on the royal website said the 96-year-old monarch died peacefully at Balmoral Castle, her Scottish residence, on Thursday afternoon.
Earlier the palace released an unusual statement saying doctors were concerned for her health and were keeping her under medical supervision
Senior members of the Royal Family travelled to Balmoral during the day to be by the monarch’s side.
All the Queen’s children travelled to Balmoral, near Aberdeen, after doctors placed the Queen under medical supervision.
Her grandson, Prince William, is also there, with his brother, Prince Harry.
She took the throne in 1952 upon the death of her father, King George VI, and reigned for 70 years
Her son now takes the throne and will be known as King Charles III.
In a statement, he said his mother’s death was “a moment of the greatest sadness for me and all members of my family… her loss will be deeply felt throughout the country, the Realms and the Commonwealth, and by countless people around the world”
British Prime Minister Liz Truss described Elizabeth’s death as “a huge shock to the nation and to the world. Queen Elizabeth II was the rock on which modern Britain was built”
Messages of condolence and tribute have been pouring in from the UK, Europe and the rest of the world
Buckingham Palace said the King and Queen Consort would stay at Balmoral overnight before returning to London on Friday
People have been gathering outside Buckingham Palace following the announcement of the death of Queen Elizabeth.
The details of what happens next have been planned out years, even decades in advance, and protocol dictates a strict timetable of events, a formal series of ceremonies and procedures.
There will be nine days between the death of Her Majesty and her funeral, which are carefully choreographed with ceremony, pageantry and formalities.
Germany’s Scholz praises Queen’s commitment to post-war reconciliation
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has paid tribute on Twitter to Queen Elizabeth as “a role model and inspiration for millions, also here in Germany”.
“Her commitment to German-British reconciliation after the horrors of World War II will remain unforgotten. She will be missed, not least her wonderful humour,” he said.
Clarence House confirmed on Thursday that Britain’s new monarch will be known as King Charles III, following the death of Queen Elizabeth, PA Media reported on Thursday.
Elizabeth became Queen at the age of 25 in 1952 after the death of her father King George VI, and reigned for more than 70 years. Her reign witnessed enormous social change.
Queen Elizabeth’s death comes just two days after she received the new British prime minister at Balmoral for the formal transfer of power. Below is the text of Liz Truss’s statement, as read outside 10 Downing Street:
“We are all devastated by the news we have just heard from Balmoral. The death of Her Majesty the Queen is a huge shock to the nation and to the world. Queen Elizabeth II was the rock on which modern Britain was built. Our country has grown and flourished under her reign.
“Britain is the great country it is today because of her. She ascended the throne just after the Second World War. She championed the development of the Commonwealth – from a small group of seven countries to a family of 56 nations spanning every continent of the world. We are now a modern, thriving, dynamic nation.
“Through thick and thin, Queen Elizabeth II provided us with the stability and the strength that we needed. She was the very spirit of Great Britain – and that spirit will endure. She has been our longest-ever reigning monarch.
“It is an extraordinary achievement to have presided with such dignity and grace for 70 years. Her life of service stretched beyond most of our living memories. In return, she was loved and admired by the people in the United Kingdom and all around the world.
“She has been a personal inspiration to me and to many Britons. Her devotion to duty is an example to us all. Earlier this week, at 96, she remained determined to carry out her duties as she appointed me as her 15th prime minister.
“Throughout her life, she has visited more than 100 countries and she has touched the lives of millions around the world.
“In the difficult days ahead, we will come together with our friends across the United Kingdom, the Commonwealth and the world to celebrate her extraordinary life of service.
“It is a day of great loss, but Queen Elizabeth II leaves a great legacy.
“Today the Crown passes – as it is has done for more than a thousand years – to our new monarch, our new head of state: His Majesty King Charles III.
“With the King’s family, we mourn the loss of his mother. And as we mourn, we must come together as a people to support him. To help him bear the awesome responsibility that he now carries for us all.
“We offer him our loyalty and devotion just as his mother devoted so much to so many for so long. And with the passing of the second Elizabethan age, we usher in a new era in the magnificent history of our great country – exactly as Her Majesty would have wished – by saying the words God save the King.”
With her death, her eldest son Charles, the former Prince of Wales, will lead the country in mourning as the new King and head of state for 14 Commonwealth realms.
“The King and the Queen Consort will remain at Balmoral this evening and will return to London tomorrow.”