Queen Elizabeth II, the longest-serving monarch in British history and an icon instantly recognised by billions of people around the world, died on Thursday at the age of 96, Buckingham Palace announced.
Charles, Prince of Wales, the eldest of her four children and the oldest heir apparent in British history at 73, becomes king immediately.
The queen died after the palace announced on Thursday that doctors were “concerned” about her health and advised her to remain under medical supervision.
All of her children flocked to her Scottish Highland retreat, Balmoral, including Charles, Princess Anne, 72, Prince Andrew, 62, and Prince Edward, 58.
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Charles’ sons, Prince William and his estranged brother, Prince Harry, joined them.
Two days earlier the queen appointed Liz Truss as the 15th prime minister of her reign and was seen smiling in photographs but looking frail and using a walking stick.
One photograph of the meeting sparked alarm, showing a deep purple bruise on the monarch’s right hand.
Queen Elizabeth II came to the throne aged just 25 in 1952 in the aftermath of World War II, joining a world stage dominated by political figures from China’s Mao Zedong to Soviet leader Joseph Stalin and US president Dwight D. Eisenhower.
Her 70-year reign straddled two centuries of seismic social, political and technological upheaval.
The last vestiges of Britain’s vast empire crumbled. At home, Brexit shook the foundations of her kingdom, and her family endured a series of scandals.
But throughout, she remained consistently popular and was queen and head of state not just of the United Kingdom but 14 former British colonies, including Australia, Canada and New Zealand.
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She was also head of the 56-nation Commonwealth, which takes in a quarter of humanity, and supreme governor of the Church of England, the mother church of the worldwide Anglican communion.
But questions will be asked about whether the golden age of the British monarchy has now passed, how an ancient institution can remain viable in the modern era and whether Charles will command the same respect or reign in his mother’s shadow.
