Queen Elizabeth, the longest-reigning British monarch, died Thursday. She was 96 years old.
Buckingham Palace announced the news on social media shortly after her death. “The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon,” the statement read, referring to the royal residence in Scotland. No cause of death has been announced.
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. pic.twitter.com/VfxpXro22W
— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) September 8, 2022
Queen Elizabeth ascended to the throne following the death of her father, King George VI, in 1952. She is the longest-serving British monarch, with a reign that spanned seven decades. Earlier this year, she celebrated her Platinum Jubilee, commemorating her 70 years as queen.
Members of the Royal Family were with her when she passed, including her grandson, Prince William, and son Prince Charles who, upon her death, became King. According to the statement released from the Palace, Charles and his wife, Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, will remain in Balmoral overnight before returning to London tomorrow.
“The death of my beloved Mother, Her Majesty the Queen, is a moment of the greatest sadness for me and for all members of my family,” King Charles wrote in a statement released by the Palace. “We mourn profoundly the passing of a cherished Sovereign and a much-loved Mother. I know her loss will be deeply felt throughout the country, the Realms, and the Commonwealth, and by countless people around the world.”
A statement from His Majesty The King: pic.twitter.com/AnBiyZCher
— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) September 8, 2022
He concluded by saying, “During this period of mourning and change, my family and I will be comforted and sustained by our knowledge of the respect and deep affection in which The Queen was so widely held.”
Crowds of mourners have gathered outside of Buckingham Palace in London, where rounds of “God Save the Queen” could be heard.
In the U.S., White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre had been giving a press conference when news of the Queen’s death broke. “Our relationship with the people of the United Kingdom, and this is something that the president has said himself, has grown stronger and stronger,” she said. “And it is one of our closest allies. And, again, our hearts go to the people of the United Kingdom, to the queen, and to the family.”
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