Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain died Thursday at the age of 96, Buckingham Palace announced.
The longest reigning British monarch “died peacefully” at Balmoral Castle, her large estate in Scotland, the palace confirmed on social media. Large crowds gathered at Buckingham Palace erupted into tears as they heard the news of her passing, BBC reported.
Now King Charles, the queen’s son, has replaced her as monarch.
“The death of my beloved Mother, Her Majesty The Queen, is a moment of the greatest sadness for me and all the members of my family,” he wrote in a statement. “We mourn profoundly the passing of a cherished Sovereign and a much-loved Mother. I know her loss will be deeply felt throughout the country, the Realms and the Commonwealth, and by countless people around the world.”
“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,” he said.
Earlier in the day, all of the queen’s children, including King Charles, Prince Andrew, Princess Edward, and Princess Anne, traveled to Balmoral castle in Scotland, where their mother was resting under medical supervision under the advisement of her doctors. On Wednesday, the queen canceled an upcoming virtual privy council meeting after learning of the doctors’ recommendation.
“After a full day yesterday, Her Majesty has this afternoon accepted doctors’ advice to rest. This means that the privy council meeting that had been due to take place this evening will be rearranged,” the queen’s representatives said.
Armed guards lined up in front of the gates of Balmoral Thursday and temporary fencing was erected, 7NewsDC reported.
Prince William, son of Prince Charles, also traveled to the Royal property to be with his grandmother. Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, was scheduled to depart for Scotland but without Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, BBC reported.
The queen presided over the UK during major historical episodes. During her reign, 15 prime ministers, beginning with Winston Churchill and ending with Liz Truss, served the country. Truss, the newly selected replacement for Boris Johnson representing the Conservative Party, was just appointed by the queen last week.
Truss expressed her sympathies with the Royal Family on Thursday.
“The whole country will be deeply concerned by the news from Buckingham Palace this lunchtime,” she said. “My thoughts – and the thoughts of people across our United Kingdom – are with Her Majesty The Queen and her family at this time.”