Queen Elizabeth II, who is the UK’s longest serving monarch in history after reigning for 70 years, died peacefully, at age 96, at Balmoral her Scottish estate.
Her son King Charles III described the death of his beloved mother as a “moment of great sadness” for him and his family and that her loss would be “deeply felt” around the world.
“We mourn profoundly the passing of a cherished sovereign and a much-loved mother,” he said.
“I know her loss will be deeply felt throughout the country, the realms and the Commonwealth, and by countless people around the world.”
During the coming period of mourning, he said he and his family would be “comforted and sustained by our knowledge of the respect and deep affection in which the Queen was so widely held”.
The King and his wife, Camilla, now Queen Consort, will return to London on Friday, and is expected to address the nation on Friday.
Above is a picture taken of Her Majesty to mark the historic occasion of her Sapphire Jubilee. In the portrait she is wearing the same suite of jewellery given to her by her father King George VI as a wedding gift in 1947.
She’s so far been served by 15 British prime ministers — the first was none other than Winston Churchill and most recent was Liz Truss — since taking over the throne. This year, she celebrated her Royal Jubilee and took part in a special film session with Paddington Bear. To the delight of millions, she told Paddington Bear that she keeps marmalade sandwiches in her handbag.
“She may be my grandmother, but she is also very much the boss,” Prince William said at the time of her Sapphire Jubilee, via The Washington Post.
In 2015, when she thanked the nation for the kind messages after overtaking Queen Victoria to become the longest-reigning monarch in British history, she admitted bluntly that the royal record was “not one to which I have ever aspired”.
She added: “Inevitably, a long life can pass by many milestones. My own is no exception.”
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