Queen Elizabeth II passed away on Thursday at the age of 96.
“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,” Buckingham Palace said in a statement.
The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon.
— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) September 8, 2022
The King and The Queen Consort will remain at Balmoral this evening and will return to London tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/VfxpXro22W
The Queen was born Princess Elizabeth Alexandra Mary on May 29, 1926. She was third in line for the crown behind her uncle, King Edward VII and her father, King George VI. She became the heir presumptive in 1936 after King Edward VIII abdicated from the throne.
On November 20, 1947, Queen Elizabeth – still a princess at this time – married His Royal Highness Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburg.
Less than five years later, King George VI would die of lung cancer, allowing Elizabeth to ascend to the throne.
Reigning for 70 years, Queen Elizabeth is the longest sitting monarch in British history. According to the Royal Household website, the Queen has also traveled more widely than any of her predecessors.
Known for her devotion to the crown and the people of England, her majesty famously said on her 21 birthday, “I declare before you all that my whole life, whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service.”
'I declare before you all that my whole life whether it be long or short shall be devoted to your service.'
— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) March 9, 2020
On her twenty-first birthday, in a speech broadcast on the radio from Cape Town, The Queen (then Princess Elizabeth) dedicated her life to the service of the Commonwealth. pic.twitter.com/0URU2tEPj8
News of the Queen’s declining health first broke on Thursday morning. Doctors visited the Queen at Balmoral Castle, her estate in the Scottish Highlands, where they voiced concerns over her health.
“Following further evaluation this morning, the queen’s doctors are concerned for Her Majesty’s health and have recommended that she remain under medical supervision,” the Palace said in a Thursday statement.
Family surrounded the Queen at the time of her passing. Her son – and the heir to the throne – Prince Charles and his wife, Camilla, her two other sons, Princes Andrew and Edward, her daughter Princess Anne and her grandson Prince Harry, and his wife, Megan, were by her side. Her grandson Prince William, who is second in line for the throne, was on his way to Balmoral. Prince William’s wife, Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, reportedly stayed in Windsor to look after her children.
The Queen’s husband, Prince Philip, passed away on April 17 of last year at the age of 99. Her only sibling, Princess Margaret, died in 2002.
Photo courtesy: ©Getty Images/WPA Pool/Pool
Kayla Koslosky is the former Editor of ChristianHeadlines.com. She has B.A. degrees in English and History and previously wrote for and was the managing editor of the Yellow Jacket newspaper. She has also contributed to IBelieve.com and Crosswalk.com.
