Queen Elizabeth, the longest-reigning monarch in British history, has died. She is 96 years old. The news came hours after Buckingham Palace said the Queen’s doctors were concerned about her health, just days after she met her 15th Prime Minister, Liz Truss. All of the Queen’s children traveled to Balmoral to accompany her in the final moments of her life, as did Prince William, Prince Harry, Sophie, Countess of Wessex and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall.
“The Queen passed away peacefully this afternoon in Balmoral. The King and Queen Consort will remain in Balmoral tonight and return to London tomorrow,” Buckingham Palace said in a statement.
As monarch, the Queen will have a state funeral 12 days after her death. The exact details of the ceremony planned decades ago have not been officially announced, but we will update this article as more information becomes available.
Prince Charles became king immediately after the death of his mother, but there is no specific timetable for his coronation. Notably, there was a 16-month gap between the Queen’s coronation in 1953 and the death of her father, King George VI. Prince Charles will also succeed his mother as head of the Commonwealth, a decision confirmed by Commonwealth leaders in April 2018.
Prince Charles said in a statement at the time: “I am deeply touched and honoured by the decision of the Commonwealth Head of State and Government to succeed the Queen as Head of the Commonwealth in due course.”
