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Queen Elizabeth, Britain's longest-reigning monarch and a towering presence on the world stage for seven decades, has died peacefully at her home in Scotland aged 96.

"The death of my beloved mother, Her Majesty The Queen, is a moment of the greatest sadness for me and all members of my family," said the new king, her eldest son Charles, 73.

"I know her loss will be deeply felt throughout the country, the realms and the Commonwealth, and by countless people around the world."

News that the Queen's health was deteriorating emerged after noon on Thursday when her doctors said she was under medical supervision, prompting her family to rush to Balmoral Castle in Scotland to be by her side.

Thousands gathered outside Buckingham Palace in London, and there was a stunned silence when the flag was lowered to half-mast. The crowd surged to the gates as the death notice of the only monarch most Britons have known was attached to the iron gates.

King Charles III and his wife Camilla, the Queen Consort, will remain at Balmoral before returning to London on Friday, when Charles is expected to address the nation and meet Prime Minister Liz Truss. Details of the funeral have not been confirmed.

On Elizabeth's death, Charles automatically became monarch of the United Kingdom and the head of state of 14 other realms including Australia, Canada and New Zealand.

The Queen, whose husband died last year, had been suffering from what Buckingham Palace called "episodic mobility problems" since the end of last year, forcing her to withdraw from nearly all her public engagements.

Her last official duty was on Tuesday, when she appointed Truss prime minister, the 15th of her reign.

"Through thick and thin, Queen Elizabeth II provided us with the stability and the strength that we needed. She was the very spirit of Great Britain, and that spirit will endure," Truss said outside her Downing Street office.

Condolences poured in from leaders around the globe.

"Her legacy will loom large in the pages of British history, and in the story of our world," US President Joe Biden said in a statement.

In Paris, the mayor announced the lights of the Eiffel Tower would be turned off; in Brazil, the Christ the Redeemer statue was illuminated with the colours of the Union Jack; and the United Nations General Assembly and the Security Council stood for a moment of silence.

Even Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose country's relations with Britain have plummeted over the war in Ukraine, called it an "irreparable loss".

Queen Elizabeth II, who was also the world's oldest and longest-serving head of state, came to the throne following the death of her father King George VI on February 6, 1952, when she was just 25.

She was crowned in June the following year. The first televised coronation was a foretaste of a new world in which royal lives were to become increasingly scrutinised by the media.

"I have in sincerity pledged myself to your service, as so many of you are pledged to mine. Throughout all my life and with all my heart I shall strive to be worthy of your trust," she said in a speech to her subjects on her coronation day.

Elizabeth became monarch when Britain still retained much of its old empire. It was emerging from the ravages of World War II, with food rationing still in force and class and privilege still dominant in society.

In the following decades, Elizabeth witnessed massive political change and social upheaval at home and abroad. Her own family's tribulations, most notably the divorce of Charles and his late first wife Diana, were played out in full public glare.

While she remained a symbol of stability and continuity for Britons, her grandson Prince William told a 2012 documentary the Queen had "managed to modernise and evolve the monarchy like no other".

Her long reign meant she repeatedly broke records for British rulers. When she surpassed the more than 63 years her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria spent on the throne, she said it was not a landmark to which she had ever aspired.

Her marriage to Prince Philip lasted 73 years, until his death in April 2021, and they had four children, Charles, Anne, Andrew and Edward.

She never gave a media interview and critics said she came across as distant and aloof.

But for the vast majority of her subjects she was a figure who commanded respect and admiration. Her death marks the end of an era.

Opinion polls suggest Charles does not enjoy anywhere near the same level of support and there is speculation the loss of Elizabeth might lead to a rise in republican sentiment, particularly in the other realms.

© RAW 2022

The Queen has died and the Prince of Wales is now King.

Here is the day-by-day account of what is expected to happen next, leading up to the Queen's funeral in about 11 days' time.

* DAY OF DEATH

Thursday would traditionally have been D-Day or D+0 in the plans for the aftermath of the Queen's death, codenamed London Bridge.

But the announcement has come late in the day - at 6.31pm on Thursday September 8 - meaning plans have been shifted a day to allow the complex arrangements to be put in place, meaning D+0 will be considered on Friday.

The new King had dashed to the Queen's bedside.

Charles was joined by the monarch's other children the Princess Royal, the Duke of York and the Earl of Wessex, and the Duke of Cambridge, now heir to the throne, with the Duke of Sussex also travelling there.

Also at Balmoral are Camilla - the new Queen Consort - and the Countess of Wessex.

The King and Camilla will remain at Balmoral on Thursday evening and will return to London on Friday.

The following is expected to take place on Friday - D+0. But concrete plans are yet to be confirmed by Buckingham Palace.

* D+0 - FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9

- The King and Queen return to London - Charles and Camilla will stay at Balmoral overnight on Thursday but return to London on Friday.

- Audience with the PM - Despite his grief, duty calls for new sovereign Charles and his first audience as monarch with Prime Minister Liz Truss is expected to happen as soon as practically possible.

- Confirming funeral plans - Charles will meet the Earl Marshal - the Duke of Norfolk - who is in charge of the accession and the Queen's funeral, to approve the carefully choreographed schedule for the coming days.

The arrangements - codenamed London Bridge - have long been planned in consultation with the government.

They will incorporate Operation Unicorn, the contingency plans for the death of the Queen in Scotland.

During the coronavirus pandemic, the government and the Royal Household prepared a "London minus" version of the London Bridge plans in case it was needed - which is now unlikely - with all the elements but with the involvement of fewer people.

- Court mourning - Charles will decide on the length of court or royal mourning for members of the royal family and royal households. It is expected to last a month.

- National mourning - The UK government will confirm the length of national mourning, which is likely to be around 12 to 13 days, from now up to the day after the Queen's funeral.

They will also announce that the funeral day will be a public holiday in the form of a Day of National Mourning.

- Flags - Union flags on royal buildings will fly at half-mast.

The Royal Standard never flies half-mast. It represents the Sovereign and the United Kingdom and is a symbol of the continuation of the monarchy.

If the new King is in residence at a royal palace or castle, the Royal Standard will fly there full-mast as is the tradition.

The Union flag does not fly there at the same time.

The Union flag will also be flying half-mast over the Houses of Parliament. The UK Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport is in charge of arrangements for lowering flags on government buildings.

Downing Street reportedly expressed concern in the past that the government would face a wave of public anger if it did not lower its flags within 10 minutes of the announcement of the Queen's death.

- Bells and gun salutes - Bells will toll at Westminster Abbey, St Paul's Cathedral and Windsor Castle, and gun salutes - one round for every year of the Queen's life - will be fired in Hyde Park and at other stations.

Floodlighting at royal residences will be turned off, and the public will begin to leave flowers as tributes from around the world pour in.

- Charles's televised address - The King will make a televised address to the nation, which he is due to pre-record.

He will pay tribute to the Queen and pledge his duty to his service as the new sovereign.

- Service at St Paul's Cathedral - The Prime Minister and senior ministers will attend a public service of remembrance at St Paul's in central London, with the event planned to appear as if impromptu.

* D+1 - SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 10

At 10am on the day after the Queen's death, the Accession Council usually meets at St James's Palace in London to formally proclaim Charles as the new sovereign.

First, the Privy Council gathers without the King to proclaim the new monarch and arrange business relating to the proclamation.

Then Charles holds his first Privy Council, accompanied by Camilla, and William who are also Privy Counsellors, and makes his personal declaration and oath.

The first public proclamation of the new sovereign is read in the open air from the Friary Court balcony at St James's Palace by the Garter King of Arms.

Proclamations are made around the city and across the country.

Union flags go back up to full-mast at 1pm and remain there for 24 hours to coincide with the proclamations before returning to half-mast.

Charles will also hold an audience with the prime minister and the cabinet.

* D+2 - SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 11

The Queen's coffin is expected to be taken by road to the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh.

Proclamations will be read in the Scottish, Welsh and Northern Ireland devolved parliaments in Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast.

* D+3 - MONDAY SEPTEMBER 12

Procession is expected along Royal Mile to St Giles' Cathedral. Service and the Vigil of the Princes by members of the royal family.

The public may get the chance to file past the Queen's coffin at a mini lying in state in St Giles'.

The House of Commons and the House of Lords are expected to come together in Westminster for a Motion of Condolence, which the King could attend.

After leaving England and visiting Scotland, Charles will at some stage travel to the other countries of the UK - Wales and Northern Ireland - known as Operation Spring Tide.

* D+4 - TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 13

Coffin expected to be flown to London. Expected to be at rest at Buckingham Palace.

A rehearsal for the procession of the coffin from Buckingham Palace to the Palace of Westminster takes place.

* D+5 - WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 14

The Queen's lying in state is expected to begin in Westminster Hall - Operation Marquee - following a ceremonial procession through London. It will last four full days.

The Archbishop of Canterbury will conduct a short service following the coffin's arrival.

Hundreds of thousands of people will file past the coffin on its catafalque and pay their respects, just as they did for the Queen Mother's lying in state in 2002.

The management of the queues outside is Operation Feather.

Senior royals are also expected to pay their own moving tribute, standing guard at some stage around the coffin - the tradition known as the Vigil of the Princes.

* D+6 - THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 15

Lying in state continues and a rehearsal is likely to take place for the state funeral procession.

* D+7 - FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 16 - SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 18

Lying in state continues, ending on D+9. Heads of state begin to arrive for the funeral.

* D+10 - MONDAY SEPTEMBER 19

The Queen's state funeral is expected take place at Westminster Abbey in central London.

The original plans are for the Queen's coffin to process on a gun carriage to the abbey, pulled by naval ratings - sailors - using ropes rather than horses.

Senior members of the family are expected to poignantly follow behind - just like they did for the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales and the Duke of Edinburgh.

The military will line the streets and also join the procession.

Heads of state, prime ministers and presidents, European royals and key figures from public life will be invited to gather in the abbey, which can hold a congregation of 2000.

The service will be televised, and a national two minutes' silence is expected to be held.

The same day as the funeral, the Queen's coffin will be taken to St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle for a televised committal service.

Later in the evening, there will be a private interment service with senior members of the royal family.

The Queen's final resting place will be the King George VI memorial chapel, an annex to the main chapel - where her mother and father were buried, along with the ashes of her sister, Princess Margaret.

Philip's coffin will move from the Royal Vault to the memorial chapel to join the Queen's.

© PAA 2022

Queen Elizabeth, Britain's longest-reigning monarch and the country's figurehead for seven decades, has died aged 96, Buckingham Palace says.

"The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon," Buckingham Palace said in a statement.

"The King and The Queen Consort will remain at Balmoral this evening and will return to London tomorrow."

Elizabeth's eldest son Charles, 73, automatically becomes king of the United Kingdom and the head of state of 14 other realms including Australia, Canada and New Zealand.

His wife Camilla becomes Queen Consort.

Her family had rushed to be by her side at her Scottish home, Balmoral Castle, after doctors expressed concern about her health.

She had been suffering from what Buckingham Palace has called "episodic mobility problems" since the end of last year, forcing her to withdraw from nearly all her public engagements.

Queen Elizabeth II, who was also the world's oldest and longest-serving head of state, came to the throne following the death of her father King George VI on February 6, 1952, when she was just 25.

She was crowned in June the following year.

The first televised coronation was a foretaste of a new world in which the lives of the royals were to become increasingly scrutinised by the media.

"I have in sincerity pledged myself to your service, as so many of you are pledged to mine. Throughout all my life and with all my heart I shall strive to be worthy of your trust," she said in a speech to her subjects on her coronation day.

Elizabeth became monarch at a time when Britain still retained much of its old empire.

It was emerging from the ravages of World War II, with food rationing still in force and class and privilege still dominant in society.

Winston Churchill was Britain's prime minister at the time, Josef Stalin led the Soviet Union and the Korean War was raging.

In the decades that followed, Elizabeth witnessed massive political change and social upheaval at home and abroad.

Her own family's tribulations, most notably the divorce of Charles and his late first wife Diana, were played out in full public glare.

While remaining an enduring symbol of stability and continuity for Britons at a time of relative national economic decline, Elizabeth also tried to adapt the ancient institution of monarchy to the demands of the modern era.

"She has managed to modernise and evolve the monarchy like no other," her grandson Prince William, who is now heir to the throne, said in a 2012 documentary.

© RAW 2022