Queen Elizabeth II has died, Buckingham Palace has confirmed.
“The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon,” the Palace wrote.
“The King and The Queen Consort will remain at Balmoral this evening and will return to London tomorrow,” the statement continued.
It followed an afternoon of growing concern about her declining health, and her family rushing to Balmoral to be at her side.
His Majesty the King, to be known as King Charles III, described his mother’s death as a “moment of the greatest sadness”.
“We mourn profoundly the passing of a cherished Sovereign and a much-loved mother. I know her loss will be deeply felt through the country, the realms and the Commonwealth, and by countless people around the world, ” he said in a statement.
“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.”
Prime minister Liz Truss, who was earlier this week sworn in by the Queen, paid her own tribute on the steps of Downing Street.
“We are all devastated by the news we have just heard from Balmoral. The death of Her Majesty the Queen is a huge shock to the nation and to the world,” she said.
“Queen Elizabeth II was a rock on which modern Britain was built. Our country has grown and flourished under her reign. Britain is the great country it is today because of her.
“She ascended the thrown just after the Second World War. She championed the development of the Commonwealth, from a small group of 7 countries, to a family of 56 nations spanning every continent of the world. We are now a modern, thriving, dynamic nation.
“Through thick and thin, Queen Elizabeth II has provided us with the stability and the strength that we needed. She was the very spirit of Great Britain and that spirit will endure. She has been our longest ever reigning monarch. It is an extraordinary achievement to have presided with such dignity and grace for 70 years. Her life of service stretched beyond most of our living memories. In return she was loved and admired by the people in the United Kingdom and all around the world.
“She has been a personal inspiration to me and to many Britons. Her devotion to duty is an example to us all. Earlier this week, at 96, she remained determined to carry out her duties as she appointed me as her 15th prime minister.
“Throughout her life she has visited more than 100 countries, and she has touched the lives of millions around the world. In the difficult days ahead we will come together with our friends across the United Kingdom, the Commonwealth and the world to celebrate her extraordinary lifetime of service.
“It is a day of great loss. But Queen Elizabeth II leaves a great legacy. Today the Crown passes as it has done for more than 1,000 years to our new monarch, our new head of state, King Charles III. With the King’s family we mourn the loss of his mother and as we mourn we must come together as a people to support him, to help him carry the awesome responsibility that he now carries for us all. We offer him our loyalty and our devotion just as his mother devoted so much, for so many for so long.
“And with the passing of the second Elizabethan age we usher in a new era in the magnificent history of our great country, exactly as Her Majesty would have wished by saying the words ‘God save the King’.”
The news follows an afternoon of heightened concern for the health of the Queen.
A statement released by Buckingham Palace detailed how the Queen’s doctors were “concerned” for Her Majesty’s health, recommending “that she remain under medical supervision”.
Proceedings in parliament were interrupted as Speaker, Sir Lindsay Hoyle issued a statement in which he said, “I know I speak on behalf of the entire House when I say that we send our best wishes to Her Majesty the Queen and that she and the royal family are in our thoughts and prayers at this moment”.
Both the prime minister and the leader of the opposition then left the then energy debate earlier than they may otherwise have been expected to do.
