"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 short statement read on the Royal Family website.

Earlier in the day, Buckingham Palace stated that the Queen was under medical supervision at Balmoral Castle in Scotland. "Her doctors are concerned for her health, but say the 96-year-old monarch "remains comfortable".

All of the Queen's four children and Prince William were now in Scotland to be with her - Prince Harry was on his way.

BBC reported that well-wishers were gathering at the gates of Balmoral, as well as outside Buckingham Palace, in London.

New UK Prime Minister Liz Truss said "the whole country will be deeply concerned by the news".

Elizabeth II was England's longest reigning monarch.

She was born in Mayfair, London, as the first child of the Duke and Duchess of York. Her father acceded to the throne in 1936 upon the abdication of his brother, King Edward VIII.

When her father died in February 1952, Elizabeth—then 25 years old—became queen regnant of seven independent Commonwealth countries: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Pakistan, and Ceylon (known today as Sri Lanka), as well as Head of the Commonwealth.

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