Queen Elizabeth II was the longest-reigning monarch in British history. She had four children, eight grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren.
She died on 8 September after 70 years on the throne and is succeeded by her eldest son, Charles.
Queen Elizabeth II, the longest-serving monarch in British history, has died aged 96, drawing to a close the country’s second Elizabethan era, and heralding the reign of her son, King Charles III.
The monarch, for whom abdication was never an option, died peacefully at Balmoral on Thursday afternoon two days after undertaking her final public constitutional duty, with the appointment of the 15th prime minister of her 70-year reign.
In a statement on Thursday evening, the King said: “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.
“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.”
As tributes flow in from across the globe, the nation now enters a period of official mourning, which begins on Friday and will last for 10 days. As is traditional, officials brought a notice confirming the Queen’s death to the gates of Buckingham Palace. Crowds gathered outside royal residences, many in tears.
Elizabeth II will be accorded a state funeral at Westminster Abbey, expected to be held on Monday 19 September, though that has not yet been confirmed. She is expected in coming days to lie in rest for 24 hours at St Giles’ Cathedral in Edinburgh, with members of the public able to file past the coffin before it is flown to London for her official lying-in-state.
As Queen of the UK and 14 other realms, and head of the 54-nation Commonwealth, Elizabeth II was easily the world’s most recognisable head of state during an extraordinarily long reign.
Coming to the throne at the age of 25, she successfully steered the monarchy through decades of turbulent change, with her personal popularity providing ballast during the institution’s more difficult times.
At her side for most of it, the Duke of Edinburgh remained her “strength and stay” during a marriage that withstood many strains imposed by her unique position.
