Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II passed away on Thursday (Sept. 8) at the age of 96 at her residence in Balmoral, Scotland after a reign of 70 years and 214 days. “The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon,” Buckingham Palace said in a statement.
The royal family’s official website carried the message: “Queen Elizabeth II 1926-2022” along with the official statement issued by Buckingham Palace.
Queen Elizabeth II, was born born in Mayfair, London, on 21 April 1926. She was UK’s longest-serving monarch and also the world’s oldest and longest-serving head of state. She came to the throne following the death of her father King George VI on Feb. 6, 1952, when she was just 25 and witnessed enormous social change. She was crowned in June in 1953 in front of a then-record TV audience estimated at more than 20 million people.
Her reign spanned 15 prime ministers starting with Winston Churchill, born in 1874, and including Ms Truss, born 101 years later in 1975.
“She has managed to modernise and evolve the monarchy like no other,” her grandson Prince William, who is now heir to the throne, said in a 2012 documentary.
Elizabeth’s eldest son Charles, 73, automatically becomes 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.
In statement, the new 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.”
With reporting by Reuters, BBC
