Queen Elizabeth II poses in her coronation attire in the throne room of Buckingham Palace in London, after her coronation on June 2, 1953.
King George VI, Queen Elizabeth I, Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret attend the presentation of Archers ceremony on July 12, 1937, in Edinburgh, Scotland.
Princess Elizabeth, 14-year-old heiress apparent to the British throne, broadcasts to British girls and boys evacuated overseas in October 1940, from London. She is joined in bidding good night to her listeners by her younger sister, Princess Margaret.
Princess Elizabeth and her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, depart Westminster Abbey, London, on Nov. 20, 1947, following their wedding service.
Queen Elizabeth II and her husband, Philip, play with son Charles, Prince of Wales (left) and daughter Princess Anne, circa 1951.
Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip arrive in Trafalgar Square by royal carriage on June 2, 1953. The Queen was solemnly crowned at Westminster Abbey in London that day.
Queen Elizabeth II arrives at King’s Cross railway station in London in October 1969 with her four corgis after spending the holidays in Balmoral Castle in Scotland and before welcoming at Buckingham Palace the astronauts of the Apollo 11 mission, during which the first man walked on the moon.
Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, visit with Kenyan President Jomo Kenyatta in 1972.
Queen Elizabeth II chats with U.S. President Ronald Reagan during a ride through the grounds of Windsor Castle in June 1982, during a three-day presidential visit to Britain.
Bob Daugherty/AP
Queen Elizabeth II, followed by Princess Diana, the Princess of Wales, and Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales, arrive for the State Opening of Parliament in London on Nov. 6, 1984.
Bob Dear/AP
Queen Elizabeth II and her husband, Prince Philip, view the floral tributes and other mementos to the late Diana, Princess of Wales, at London’s Buckingham Palace, on Sept. 5 1997.
Prince Charles, Queen Elizabeth II, Prince William, and Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, appear on the balcony of Buckingham Palace on June 5, 2012, to conclude the four-day Diamond Jubilee celebrations to mark the 60th anniversary of the Queen’s accession to the throne.
Queen Elizabeth II attends the Out-Sourcing Inc. Royal Windsor Cup polo match and a carriage driving display by the British Driving Society at Guards Polo Club, Smith’s Lawn on July 11, 2021 in Egham, England.
Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images
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LONDON — Queen Elizabeth II has died at her Balmoral estate in Scotland, at age 96, Buckingham Palace said Thursday. She served as the constitutional monarch of the United Kingdom for 70 years, making her the longest-ruling monarch in British history.
Her reign spanned a remarkable arc in British history and was defined by duty to country and considerable family pain. Her death is a major milestone for the country, triggering an outpouring of national affection and grief.
Queen Elizabeth II dies at 96, surrounded by the royal family at Balmoral estate
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Queen Elizabeth II dies at 96, surrounded by the royal family at Balmoral estate
It also comes at a time when the U.K. is transitioning from a deeply controversial prime minister, Boris Johnson, to a new one, Liz Truss, who just took over the job this week. The country faces skyrocketing inflation and the challenge of the biggest war in Europe since 1945.
Elizabeth was born into an empire on which the sun never set and was the country’s last major figure with a connection to World War II, a searing, ultimately triumphant experience that, for some, continues to define the nation. On V-E Day in 1945, Elizabeth, then 19, described slipping out of Buckingham Palace to join the jubilant crowds.