Queen Elizabeth II Died Aged 96 at the Balmoral Castle

Buckingham Palace has just confirmed that Queen Elizabeth II of England died at the age of 96 at Balmoral Castle in Scotland. She passed away surrounded by her children and after 70 years on the throne. Prince Charles, 73, is now king, and will be officially proclaimed at St James's Palace in London as soon as possible.

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Elizabeth Alexandra Mary —whose official title is Elizabeth II, by the Grace of God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and her other realms and territories Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith— was born on April 21, 1926, in London.

She began carrying out public duties during WW2 as part of the Auxiliary Territorial Service, the women's branch of the British Army at the time. In 1947, she married Prince Philip, with whom she had four children: Charles, Anne, Andrew, and Edward.

After the death of her father, King George VI, Elizabeth ascended the throne on February 6, 1952, thus becoming the head of the Commonwealth of Nations and queen of the seven independent countries belonging to it: United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Pakistan, and Ceylon.

In the two decades following her rise to the throne, many territories under her rule became independent but later remained part of the Commonwealth. Fourteen British Prime Ministers were sworn into office by Queen Elizabeth.  In 1969, she appointed Charles as her successor by granting him the title of Prince of Wales.

In 2015, she became the oldest Monarch in British history, surpassing her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria in age and years of reign. On Feb. 6, 2022, Queen Elizabeth became the first British Monarch to celebrate a Platinum Jubilee, a symbol marking 70 years on the throne.

Over the last few months, however, she reduced her public activities and appearances due to her advanced age. On Sept. 8, Queen Elizabeth was placed under continuing medical supervision because of her deteriorating health conditions. Her Majesty died accompanied by her family at the Balmoral Scottish holiday home.