Queen Elizabeth II, who ruled the UK for 70 years, passed away at Balmoral at 96. After worries about her health grew early on Thursday, her family gathered at her Scottish estate. She was also Britain's longest-serving monarch.
The Queen saw a significant social change after ascending to the throne in 1952. After her passing, her eldest son Charles, the former Prince of Wales, would take the throne as the new King and ruler of 14 Commonwealth states, leading the nation in grief.
Buckingham Palace released the following statement: "The Queen passed away peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon.”
"The King and the Queen Consort will remain at Balmoral this evening and will return to London tomorrow."
Following the Queen's placement under medical supervision, all her children made their way to Balmoral, which is close to Aberdeen. Prince William, her grandson, is also present, whereas Prince Harry is en route.
The reign of Queen Elizabeth II as head of state covered the post-World War II period of austerity, the change from an empire to a Commonwealth, the end of the Cold War, and the UK's membership in - and exit from - the European Union.
15 prime ministers served during her reign, including Liz Truss, who was chosen by the Queen earlier this week and was born 101 years after Winston Churchill in 1975.
Throughout her rule, she met with her prime minister on a weekly basis. Crowds waiting for information on the Queen's condition at Buckingham Palace in London started wailing when they learned of her passing. At 18:30 BST, the Union flag above the palace was lowered to half-staff.
Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor was born the Queen on April 21, 1926, in Mayfair, London. Few could have predicted she would become the monarch, but in December 1936, her uncle Edward VIII abdicated the monarchy in order to wed American Wallis Simpson, who had previously been divorced twice. Elizabeth's father, King George VI, abdicated in favor of her sister Lilibet, who was heir to the throne at the age of 10.
Britain and Nazi Germany were at war for three years. After their parents rejected recommendations that they are moved to Canada, Elizabeth and her younger sister, Princess Margaret, spent a large portion of the war at Windsor Castle.
Elizabeth, who was then 18 years old, completed five months of training as a driver and basic mechanic with the Auxiliary Territorial Service. "I began to understand the esprit de corps that flourishes in the face of adversity," she later recalled.
Elizabeth was crowned at Westminster Abbey on June 2, 1953, at the age of 27, in front of an estimated 20 million viewers of the then-record TV broadcast. With the demise of the British Empire abroad and the swinging '60s eroding social conventions at home, the following decades would witness a significant change.
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