Queen Elizabeth II Dies After 70 Years on Throne

Queen Elizabeth has reportedly been suffering from deteriorating health for the past several months

At age 96, Queen Elizabeth II was Britain’s longest-reigning monarch. She ascended to the throne in 1952 and, in June, celebrated her Platinum Jubilee, marking 70 years as queen.

On Thursday, Buckingham Palace announced that Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II remained under “medical supervision.

You may read the full statement here. 

Senior members of the British royal family quickly gathered at Balmoral Castle in Scotland, where Queen Elizabeth II was resting under medical attention.

It was a signal to the world of what was to come.

U.K. Prime Minister Liz Truss took to Twitter on Thursday to say that her “thoughts — and the thoughts of people across our United Kingdom — are with Her Majesty the Queen and her family at this time.”

On Wednesday evening, Queen Elizabeth abruptly canceled a virtual meeting with members of her Privy Council after her doctors advised her to rest.

Dozens of onlookers, tourists and well-wishers of the Monarch gathered outside Buckingham Palace in London on Thursday following the news that the monarch was under medical supervision.

The queen has reportedly been suffering from deteriorating health for the past several months, with doctors citing ongoing “episodic mobility problems.”

She spent a night in the hospital last October and has been forced to cut back on her public engagements since then. She has been on vacation at her Scottish estate since late July.

On Tuesday, the queen broke with tradition and appointed her 15th prime minister from Balmoral rather than traveling to Buckingham Palace, as is typical. She was also forced to cancel a planned virtual meeting with senior ministers after being advised to rest by her doctors.

Elizabeth has been queen of Britain and more than a dozen other countries since 1952, when she acceded to the throne at aged 25.

Her reign has seen 15 prime ministers, from Sir Winston Churchill to Liz Truss, and 14 U.S. presidents.

Earlier this year, she marked her 70th year on the throne with a series of Platinum Jubilee celebrations spanning four days. The queen only traveled to Buckingham Palace twice during that time, first for her Trooping the Colour balcony appearance and then for a finale after the pageant.

Her husband Philip, the longest-serving royal consort in history, died last year at aged 99.