Britain’s Queen Elizabeth is dead.
The monarch died on Thursday at the age of 96.
The queen died after a protracted illness.
“The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon,” Buckingham Palace announced in an official statement on Thursday.
The statement continued, “The King and The Queen Consort will remain at Balmoral this evening and will return to London tomorrow.”
The news of Queen Elizabeth’s death comes with another history-making moment: She is succeeded immediately by her eldest son, Prince Charles, 73, who will now be the monarch. Charles’ firstborn son, Prince William, 40, is now next in line to the world’s most famous throne, followed by his firstborn son, Prince George, 9. Her death follows her husband of 73 years, Prince Philip, who died at age 99 in June 2021.
