At about 6:30pm EAT, the queen of England, Elizabeth II was pronounced dead.
the UK’s longest-serving monarch, died at Balmoral aged 96, after reigning for 70 years.
Having assumed her role as queen in 1952, Queen Victoria has been held in high regard even at the hour of her death.
Her son, now King Charles III, said the death of his beloved mother was a “moment of great sadness” for him and his family and that her loss would be “deeply felt” around the world.
The King and his wife, Camilla, now Queen Consort, will return to London on Friday, Buckingham Palace said. He is expected to address the nation on Friday.
Prime Minister Liz Truss, who was appointed by the Queen on Tuesday, said the monarch was the rock on which modern Britain was built, who had “provided us with the stability and strength that we needed”.
Elizabeth was crowned at Westminster Abbey on 2 June 1953, aged 27, in front of a then-record TV audience estimated at more than 20 million people.
