Queen Elizabeth II, the UK's longest-serving monarch, died yesterday at Balmoral Castle aged 96, after reigning for 70 years.
In a statement, Buckingham Palace said: "The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon."
With her death, her eldest son Charles, the former Prince of Wales, will lead the country in mourning as the new King and head of state for 14 Commonwealth realms.
King Charles said the death of his beloved mother the Queen is a “moment of the greatest sadness for me and all members of my family.”
"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."
Prime Minister Liz Truss, said she was “the rock on which modern Britain was built.”
She said the Queen was a personal inspiration to her as well as many Britons.
"Her devotion to duty is an example to us all."
All the Queen's children travelled to Balmoral, near Aberdeen, after doctors placed the Queen under medical supervision.
Happy and glorious
The Queen came to the throne in 1952 and her reign was marked by a strong sense of duty and her determination to dedicate her life to her throne and to her people.
She became for many the one constant point in a rapidly changing world, her reign spanned 15 prime ministers starting with Winston Churchill and she managed to steer the monarchy through a series of turbulent times when the future of the Royal Family itself was called into question.
Charles and Diana's bitter divorce and a disastrous fire at Windsor Castle prompted her to coin the now famous phrase 'annus horribilis'.
But even through those tough times and more recent challenges with Prince Andrew and Harry and Meghan, the Queen's stature, affection and respect among her subjects has been undiminished, even growing.
She found love after exchanging letters with her third cousin, Philip, Prince of Greece, during World War 2 and they were married at Westminster Abbey on 20 November 1947, with the prince taking the title of Duke of Edinburgh.
She would later describe him as "my strength and stay" through 73 years of marriage, before his death in 2021, aged 99.
Her life would span a World War, numerous political and personal crises, huge technological and geopolitical change and through it all she retained great dignity and this strength in adversity would be recognised as one of her many strengths.
