The United Kingdom and the entire world are in a state of mourning following the demise of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
The English monarch died at age 96.
Though she was not born a princess, she miraculously became one and an heir to the throne after the then-monarch and her uncle, Edward VIII, resigned his position in December 1936 to marry the twice-divorced American, Wallis Simpson.
The resignation cleared the way for Lilibet (Queen Elizabeth), then ten years old, to become Princess and heir after her father, King George VI succeeded his elder brother to ascend to the throne.
Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor was born on April 21, 1926, in Mayfair, London and inherited the throne after her father died in 1952.
And lastly, having attained the record as the longest serving monarch in the history of Britain, the Royal family, announcing her death, said, “The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon.”
It added, “The King (then Prince Charles) and the Queen Consort will remain at Balmoral this evening and will return to London tomorrow.”
The departed Queen will be succeeded by her eldest son and heir to the throne, the 73-year-old Prince Charles.
The yet-to-be new King in a statement said “the death of my beloved Mother, Her Majesty The Queen, is a moment of the greatest sadness for me and all members of my family.
“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.
“During this period of mourning and change, my family and I will be comforted and sustained by our knowledge of the respect and deep affection in which The Queen was so widely held.”
