Queen Elizabeth II, Britain’s longest-reigning sovereign and the world’s oldest monarch, died on Thursday at the Balmoral Castle in Scotland at the age of 96.

“The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon,” the Royal Family said. “The King and The Queen Consort will remain at Balmoral this evening and will return to London tomorrow.”

On Thursday, several members of the royal family, including the Queen’s eldest son and heir Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, had arrived at the Balmoral Castle after doctors had said that they were concerned about the monarch’s health.

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Elizabeth was named queen at the age of 25 after the death of her father King George VI in 1952. She was coronated the next year in June. Since then, she has been the queen of Britain and more than a dozen other countries including Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

Her reign spanned 15 prime ministers starting with Winston Churchill.

In 2021, Queen Elizabeth lost her husband Prince Philip, who was 99. He was married to the Queen for 73 years, from 1947, making him the longest-serving royal consort in British history.

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Earlier this year, the monarch had marked her 70 years on the throne with a four-day national celebration across the country.

“I have been inspired by the kindness, joy and kinship that has been so evident in recent days,” she had said at the time, according to Reuters. “And I hope this renewed sense of togetherness will be felt for many years to come.”

Leaders across the world paid tributes to Queen Elizabeth.

The new king, Charles III, said her death was a moment of great sadness for him and their entire family. He said his mother’s loss will be felt throughout the world, “the Realms”, and the Commonwealth.

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“During this period of mourning and change, my family and I will be comforted and sustained by our knowledge of the respect and deep affection in which the Queen was so widely held,” the statement reads.

Former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair said that country has lost a matriarch, who brought people together, The Guardian reported. She personified everything that makes British people proud, he added.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that he will always remember Queen Elizabeth for her warmth and kindness.

More tributes poured in for the Queen.


The Queen over the years

Queen Elizabeth, Prince Philip and David Webster speak with ballerina Margot Fonteyn in London on June 10, 1958. (Credit: Reuters)
U.S. President Gerald Ford and Britain's Queen Elizabeth dance during a state dinner in honour of the Queen and Prince Philip at the White House in Washington, US, on July 7, 1976. (Credit: Reuters)
A photograph taken in the 1970s showing Britain's Queen Elizabeth standing on a beach at an unknown location, is seen in this undated handout photograph, received in London on November 21, 2008. (Credit: Reuters)
A picture showing Britain's Queen Elizabeth (C) with her daughter Princess Anne (R) and her granddaughter Zara Phillips riding at Windsor Castle during Easter, has been released by Buckingham Palace to mark the monarch's 78th birthday on April 21, 2004. (Credit: Reuters)
Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip arrive for the Queen's garden party at Buckingham Palace in central London, Britain on May 12, 2015. (Credit: Stefan Wermuth/Reuters)