Queen Elizabeth II
By Original: Joel Rouse/ Ministry of DefenceDerivative: nagualdesign – defenceimagery.mod.uk, OGL 3, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=65165563

Queen Elizabeth II, the United Kingdom‘s longest-serving monarch, has died after reigning for 70 years. She was 96 years old.

The Queen died peacefully on Thursday afternoon at her Scottish estate, Balmoral, where she had spent much of the summer.

She came to the throne in 1952.

Queen Elizabeth II’s tenure as head of state spanned post-war austerity, the transition from empire to Commonwealth, the end of the Cold War and the UK’s entry into – and withdrawal from – the European Union.

Her reign spanned 15 prime ministers starting with Winston Churchill, born in 1874, and including Liz Truss, born 101 years later in 1975.

Her son, Charles, formerly Prince of Wales, will now be King Charles III with his wife, Camilla, now Queen Consort. It is expected that Charles will be officially proclaimed King on Saturday.

Here in the United States, New York Governor Kathy Hochul directed flags on state buildings to be lowered to half-staff in honor of Queen Elizabeth, saying “”Queen Elizabeth II was a force on the world stage for decades and an inspiring female leader who leaves a lasting legacy. New York joins the people of the United Kingdom and all those who are mourning in honoring her life, and we send our prayers to her family.”