Britain’s longest-serving queen, Elizabeth has died at 96 years, Buckingham Palace has revealed.
“The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon,” The Palace said in a statement.
“The King and The Queen Consort will remain at Balmoral this evening and will return to London tomorrow,” it adds
She has led the helm of Britain for the last 70 years. Making her the longest-serving Queen and British Ruler.
Elizabeth’s eldest son Charles, 73, will automatically become the king of the United Kingdom and the head of state of 14 other realms including Australia, Canada, and New Zealand. His wife Camilla becomes Queen Consort.
Her family had rushed to be by her side at her Scottish home, Balmoral Castle after doctors expressed concern about her health. She had been suffering from what Buckingham Palace has called “episodic mobility problems” since the end of last year, forcing her to withdraw from nearly all her public engagements.
Queen Elizabeth II, who was also the world’s oldest and longest-serving head of state, came to the throne following the death of her father King George VI on Feb. 6, 1952, when she was just 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 scrutinized 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,” she said in a speech to her subjects on her coronation day.
Additional Reporting by Reuters
