Queen Elizabeth II, the United Kingdom’s longest-reigning monarch, died at the age of 96 at Balmoral, after reigning for 70 years.
Her family gathered at her Scottish estate after health concerns arose earlier in the day.
Since her accession to the throne in 1952, the Queen has witnessed enormous social change.
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 following her death.
Buckingham Palace issued a statement saying, “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.”
After doctors placed the Queen under medical supervision, all of the Queen’s children travelled to Balmoral, near Aberdeen.
Prince William, her grandson, is also present, with his brother, Prince Harry, on his way.
Queen Elizabeth II’s reign as head of state spanned postwar austerity, the transition from empire to Commonwealth, the end of the Cold War, and the United Kingdom’s entry into – and exit from – the European Union.
Her reign lasted 15 years, beginning with Winston Churchill in 1874 and ending with Liz Truss, born 101 years later in 1975 and appointed by the Queen earlier this week.
Crowds waiting for updates on the Queen’s condition at Buckingham Palace in London began crying as they learned of her death. At 18:30 BST, the Union flag atop the palace was lowered to half-mast.
Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor was born on April 21, 1926, in Mayfair, London.
Few could have predicted she would become monarch, but in December 1936, her uncle, Edward VIII, abdicated the throne to marry Wallis Simpson, a twice-divorced American.
Elizabeth’s father became King George VI, and Lilibet, as she was known in the family, became heir to the throne at the age of ten.
Britain was at war with Nazi Germany within three years. After their parents rejected suggestions that they be evacuated to Canada, Elizabeth and her younger sister, Princess Margaret, spent much of the wartime at Windsor Castle.
Elizabeth spent five months with the Auxiliary Territorial Service after turning 18 and learned basic motor mechanics and driving skills.
“I began to understand the esprit de corps that flourishes in the face of adversity,” she recalled later.
During the war, she corresponded with her third cousin, Philip, Prince of Greece, who served in the Royal Navy. Their romance blossomed, and the couple married on November 20, 1947, at Westminster Abbey, with the prince assuming the title of Duke of Edinburgh.
She would later refer to him as “my strength and stay” throughout their 74-year marriage, until his death in 2021, at the age of 99.
