Queen Elizabeth II, Britain’s longest-serving monarch, died at the age of 96 after a reign lasting 70 years.
Her eldest son, Charles—who is 73 years old—has become king according to centuries-old protocol.
The royal family, including King Charles and his grandsons William and Harry as well their families, have gathered at her Balmoral retreat in the Scottish highlands. This is where she spent her last days.
In June, the UK celebrated Queen Elizabeth II’s 70th anniversary on the throne with lavish events.
in 2015, Queen Elizabeth became the longest-serving British monarch, surpassing her great-great grandmother Queen Victoria. This year, she became the world’s second longest reigning monarch.
As UK celebrated her Platinum Jubilee milestone with royal parades, street parties and pageantry, the Queen thanked the nation in a letter, saying that she had been “humbled and deeply touched”.
“When it comes to how to mark 70 years as your Queen, there is no guidebook to follow. It really is a first,” she wrote.
The Queen missed some of the events because of her health, and Prince Charles and second in line Prince William attended them. She did appear on the balcony of Buckingham Palace at the end of the Jubilee Pageant.
For most of her subjects, she was the only monarch they had ever known, featuring on stamps, banknotes and coins, and immortalized in popular culture.
She lived through some of the biggest royal scandals – from the divorce of Charles and Diana to her second son Prince Andrew’s alleged links to convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein and Harry and Meghan quitting royal life.
But she was witness to some of the most eventful moments in modern history, from the assassination of US President John F Kennedy, to the moon landing, the fall of the Berlin wall and the Covid pandemic. She saw 14 Prime Ministers of UK during her reign, from Winston Churchill to Liz Truss. In a first, she appointed Liz Truss in Balmoral in Scotland as she was too ill to return to London.
Her husband of 73 years, Prince Philip, died in April 2021, just weeks short of his 100th birthday.