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Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, 1926-2022
By Tempus | 8 September 2022
As the royal family announces the passing of the Queen, Tempus pays tribute to a monarch like no other in history
* Credit: Royal Collection
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, the longest-serving monarch in British history, has died at the age of 96, Buckingham Palace has announced.
The Queen, who ascended the throne in 1952 following the passing of her father, King George VI, died at her residence in Balmoral, Scotland on Thursday 8 September at [time], surrounded by members of her family including her heirs, the Prince of Wales and the Duke of Cambridge.
Announcing her passing on its official Twitter account, the Royal Family said the Queen "died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon".
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. pic.twitter.com/VfxpXro22W
— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) September 8, 2022
The Queen remained an enormously popular figure throughout her seven decades on the British throne and as the head of the Commonwealth, and was loved and highly respected for her sense of duty to the country she served for most of her life, even during times of hardship for the royal family. The Royal Household notes that she had been an “important figurehead for the UK and the Commonwealth during times of enormous social change”.
Her reign, which spanned seven decades, saw her reach a number of unprecedented milestones among British monarchs, including reaching her Platinum Jubilee in February 2022. She oversaw 15 UK prime ministers and was also the most widely travelled monarch in history, having visited around 117 countries across the globe and drawing enormous crowds in all of them.
Following her death, her eldest son Charles, Prince of Wales, immediately acceded to the throne as King Charles III. In his first statement as monarch, His Majesty the King said: “We mourn profoundly the passing of a cherished sovereign and a much-loved mother. I know her loss will be deeply felt throughout the country, the realms and the Commonwealth, and by countless people around the world.”
A statement from His Majesty The King: pic.twitter.com/AnBiyZCher
— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) September 8, 2022
In 1947 Elizabeth married Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, who died in 2021 at the age of 99. She is survived by her four children – King Charles III, Anne, Princess Royal, Prince Andrew, Duke of York, and Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex – as well as eight grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren.
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, 1926-2022