Queen Elizabeth II of England died at 96, the Royal Family confirmed in a statement. They said “The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon. The King and The Queen Consort will remain at Balmoral this evening and will return to London tomorrow.” 

The monarch remained in Scotland and broke a long tradition by appointing Liz Truss as the Prime Minister of the UK in her ancestral summer home, instead of at Buckingham Palace. 

Earlier in the day, the other members of the Royal Family travelled to Scotland to be with the ailing queen. While Princes Charles, William, and Harry were all in attendance, Harry’s wife Meghan Markle reportedly didn’t go. 

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The Queen lived through many nation-altering events, including England transitioning from an empire to the Commonwealth. She saw 15 prime ministers change including Winston Churchill. 

While there have been unsubstantiated rumours that the queen suffered a fall, there have been no doubts about her health being fragile after a virtual meeting with the Privy Council of senior ministers at the last moment. Earlier in the day, Buckingham Palace had released a statement, saying “Following further evaluation this morning, the Queen’s doctors are concerned for Her Majesty’s health and have recommended she remain under medical supervision”. This went contrary to their norm of remaining private about her health on other occasions. 

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The Queen was born Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor, on April 21, 1926, in Mayfair, London. Her uncle was the king, but in December 1936, he abdicated and her father became King George VI and she became heir to the throne at the age of 10. 

She became the monarch in February 1952 after her father’s death. At 96, Queen Elizabeth II held the throne for 70 years making her the longest reigning monarch in the UK.