Queen Elizabeth II passes away peacefully at age 96

Today is a sad and historic day; Queen Elizabeth II, the longest serving monarch, has passed away peacefully at Balmoral. The Royal family gathered at her Scottish estate when the state of her health became a grave concern on Thursday.

Queen Elizabeth reigned for 70 years; however, now that she has passed, her eldest, Charles, will take on the role of King and be faced with the difficult task of leading a country in mourning.

The news broke with an official statement from Buckingham Palace: "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."

The British media spent most of Thursday publishing headlines regarding concern for the Queen's health. This was due to a statement issued by Buckingham Palace to announce that Elizabeth II was under medical supervision in her residence of Balmoral Palace, Scotland.

"Following a medical examination this morning, the Queen's doctors are concerned about Her Majesty's health and have recommended that she remain under medical supervision" read the text issued by Buckingham Palace on Thursday 8th September.

According to The Times, the Princes (Charles and his son, William) set off for Balmoral, the Royal Family's summer residence in Scotland, as soon as they were informed of the Queen's condition.

On Tuesday 6 September, Elizabeth II fulfilled her obligation to receive Liz Truss, Boris Johnson's replacement as Prime Minister. The Queen of England looked perhaps a little thinner but otherwise appeared reasonably well for her 96 years.

The Mirror added that it wasn't just Prince Charles who dashed up to 'Mummy'. All of Elizabeth II's children left immediately for Balmoral: Princess Anne, Edward and Andrew.

There was further evidence that Elizabeth II was going through an extremely delicate moment as Liz Truss, Prime Minister, in the early house of the afternoon, took to Twitter and wrote a message that made it clear how serious the situation was.

"My thoughts, and the thoughts of people across the UK, are with Her Majesty The Queen and her family at this time," Liz Truss said on Twitter.

Doctors monitored Elizabeth II at Balmoral but no further details of her specific state of health were given. Buckingham Palace only added that the Queen was "comfortable".  A way of communicating that she was not suffering.

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby (pictured with the Queen of England), said: "May God's presence strengthen and comfort Her Majesty, her family and those who are with to her at Balmoral".

Since Tuesday, the day she received Liz Truss, the Queen of England had suspended several of her usual weekly meetings.

It is almost hard for the people of Britain to believe ( as Her Majesty has astounded all with 70 years of reign) that the final chapter of a historic biography has come to an end.

Queen Elizabeth had been at Balmoral Palace since July.

In fact, the Queen had been gradually withdrawing from many palatial duties, passing the baton to the next generation. And even more so since Harry and Meghan Markle's break with the royal household had dampened the atmosphere.

The past year had been a difficult period for Elizabeth II: isolation due to the pandemic, Brexit, her son, Andrew's scandal, the Harry and Meghan crisis... and the death in 2021 of Philip of Edinburgh, the Queen's great companion since her youth.

Now that Queen Elizabeth II has passed away, it will fall to Prince Charles to ascend the throne. A King who will don the crown at the age of 73.

There is no doubt that the UK is going through an historic moment. The Queen's death marks the end of a period that began in 1956 and has included wars, crises, joys, sorrow, a pandemic that confined the world and a host of personal events that are now part of the sentimental memory of several generations.