London — Queen Elizabeth II, Britain’s longest-reigning monarch and one of the most enduring royal personalities the world has known, has died at the age of 96.
Buckingham Palace confirmed that the queen died Thursday at Balmoral Castle, her official residence in Scotland.
“The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon. The King and The Queen Consort will remain at Balmoral this evening and will return to London tomorrow,” the palace said in a statement.
The news came after palace officials issued a statement earlier in the day saying the queen had been put under “medical supervision” at Balmoral as her doctors were “concerned for Her Majesty’s health.”
All of the senior members of the royal family quickly traveled to be by her side.
The queen and the British people, along with the Commonwealth nations, had been celebrating a historic milestone: 2022 marked the monarch’s Platinum Jubilee, 70 years on the throne.
But the queen made only a few brief appearances at events in her honor to mark the anniversary in June, citing mobility issues and discomfort.
