Queen Elizabeth II, the longest-serving monarch in the history of the United Kingdom, died Thursday afternoon at Balmoral Castle in Scotland. She was 96 years of age and had reigned for more than 70 years.
Her son, Charles, will now succeed his mother as king. Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, now becomes queen consort. The queen’s condition declined rapidly during the day and members of the extended royal family were seen rushing to her Scottish residence in the hours before her death was announced.
“The queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon,” a Buckingham Palace announcement on Twitter said. “The king and the queen consort will remain at Balmoral this evening and will return to London tomorrow.”
No announcement of funeral services has yet been made, but it’s widely known that detailed plans have been in place for the eventuality.
Elizabeth became queen in February of 1952 following the death of her father, King George VI. She has reigned longer than any other monarch in the United Kingdom’s history and celebrated her Platinum Jubilee this year.
Although present for several key events, the queen had to skip many of the celebrations in order to rest. Since last fall, she’d been seen using a cane and was reported to have “mobility issues.”
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• Mark A. Kellner can be reached at mkellner@washingtontimes.com.
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