Queen Elizabeth, Britain's Longest-Reigning Monarch, Passes Away At 96

Her eldest son Charles, 73, automatically becomes the king of the United Kingdom and the head of state of 14 other realms, including Australia, Canada and New Zealand.

Queen Elizabeth II

Queen Elizabeth, the longest-reigning monarch of Britain and the nation's figurehead for seven decades, passed away at the age of 96, Buckingham Palace said on Thursday.

"The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon," Buckingham Palace said in a statement.

"The King and The Queen Consort will remain at Balmoral this evening and will return to London tomorrow," the statement added.

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

Her eldest son Charles, 73, automatically becomes the king of the United Kingdom and the head of state of 14 other realms, including Australia, Canada and New Zealand.

According to reports, all the Queen's children travelled to Balmoral, near Aberdeen, after the doctors placed the Queen under medical supervision.

The Queen’s grandson, Prince William, was also there, with his brother, Prince Harry, on his way.

The Queen was born Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor, in Mayfair, London, on April 21, 1926.

In December 1936, after her uncle, Edward VIII, abdicated from the throne to marry the twice-divorced American, Wallis Simpson, Elizabeth's father became King George VI and at the young age of 10, Lilibet, as she was known in the family, became heir to the throne.

After the death of her father King George VI on Feb. 6, 1952, she came to the throne at the age of 25.

She was crowned in June the following year. The first televised coronation was a foretaste of a new world in which the lives of the royals were to become increasingly scrutinised by the media.

"I have in sincerity pledged myself to your service, as so many of you are pledged to mine. Throughout all my life and with all my heart I shall strive to be worthy of your trust," Queen Elizabeth said in a speech to her subjects on her coronation day.

It is to be noted that the Queen’s reign spanned 15 prime ministers, starting with Winston Churchill, born in 1874, and including Liz Truss, born 101 years later in 1975, and appointed by the Queen earlier this week.