Queen Elizabeth II, who is the monarch of the United Kingdom (UK) and also heads the Commonwealth, has died at age 96, Buckingham Palace has announced.

Buckingham Palace says Queen Elizabeth II passed away on Thursday after her immediate family members spent time at her side led by Prince Charles, her son and heir to the throne.

“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,” the palace statement read.

Prince Charles, who will henceforth be his Majesty the King and King Charles III, released a statement informing Britain and the world about the passing of his mother, the queen.

“The death of my beloved Mother, Her Majesty The Queen, is a moment of the greatest sadness for me and all members of my family. 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,” his statement read.

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PHOTO/COURTESY

On her part while speaking outside of her No. 10 Downing Street residence, UK Prime Minister Liz Truss also mourned the late queen terming her death a huge shock to the nation and to the world.

"God save the king," she ended her speech.


The death came only hours after Buckingham Palace said royal doctors were concerned about her health and had placed her under close medical watch at her Balmoral Castle residence in Scotland.

Queen Elizabeth and Prince Charles. PHOTO/COURTESY

She has on Wednesday withdrawn from a virtual meeting of the Privy Council after royal doctors advised her to rest.

The Queen conducted her last official function on Tuesday by swearing in Truss as the 15th PM during her 70-year-long tenure at Balmoral and not the traditional Buckingham Palace.

Queen Elizabeth II had relocated to Aberdeenshire last summer due to her mobility challenges after contracting Covid-19.

Prince Charles, who was the Prince of Wales, became king immediately the queen’s death was confirmed but he will be officially named at a ceremony to be conducted on Friday.

Princess Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh in Kenya on February 5, 1952 a day before the death of King George VI. PHOTO/MIRRORPIX

Prince Philip, the queen’s husband, passed away at age 99 in April 2021, two years after relinquishing royal duties and was the oldest-ever male member of the British royal family.

Together they had four children: Charles, Anne, Andrew and Edward.

Queen Elizabeth II ascended the throne in 1952 at the age of 25 and had the longest monarch reign in the history of Britain after surpassing the 62-year record held by her great-great-grandmother, Queen Victoria, in 2015.

Princess Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh in Kenya on February 5, 1952. PHOTO/COURTESY

On February 6, 1952, then Princess Elizabeth, was having some adventure deep in the Aberdare Ranges in Kenya when her father, King George VI, died and she became queen.

King George VI died at his royal Sandringham residence in Norfolk after a long battle with lung cancer leaving his daughter, then aged 25, to inherit the coveted British throne.