Queen Elizabeth II, the longest-reigning British monarch who ascended the throne at just 27 years old and ruled the United Kingdom for more than 70 years, has died, Buckingham Palace announced on Twitter.

She was 96 years old.

"The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon," the palace wrote on Twitter. "The King and The Queen Consort will remain at Balmoral this evening and will return to London tomorrow."

Her eldest son, Charles, Prince of Wales — who became heir apparent to the throne in 1952, the longest-serving in British history — will now become the first King of the United Kingdom since Elizabeth’s father, King George VI, passed away in 1952. Charles’ wife, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, will become the queen consort when he ascends to the throne.

When Queen Elizabeth II ascended to the throne in 1952, it was U.S. President Harry Truman who offered condolences on her father’s passing and offered a prayer ahead of her reign: “We pray that the god of all comfort will sustain you and keep you, and that the king of kings, under whose ruling hand all nations live, will give you fortitude and courage, strength and wisdom to fulfill the responsibilities thrust upon you as you assume your place in the long line of British sovereigns.”

Her reign would go on to encompass the tenures of 14 U.S. presidents, from Truman to President Joe Biden. She met with all of them, save for President Lyndon Johnson.

The Queen was born on April 21, 1926, as Princess Elizabeth Alexandra Mary, to the Duke of York, who would later go on to be King George VI, and the Duchess of York, who would later be known as Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, who died in 2002 at the age of 101.

During the reign of her grandfather, King George V, Elizabeth was third in line to the throne, behind her uncle Edward – who would later become King Edward VIII in 1936 – and her father. After Edward VIII abdicated later that year, when his proposed marriage to American socialite Wallis Simpson would have created a constitutional crisis, Elizabeth became second in line to the throne behind her father, King George VI.

Elizabeth met Philip, her future husband, in 1934, though they began exchanging letters after a meeting in 1939, when Elizabeth was 13 years old. They were secretly engaged in 1946, after Philip asked her father, King George VI, for her hand in marriage, and they announced their engagement in 1947.

The Queen and Prince Philip wed on Nov. 20, 1947, at Westminster Abbey, the same church where two of their children — Princess Anne and Prince Andrew — and one of their grandchildren, Prince William, would later marry. The ceremony was broadcast to over 200 million people worldwide.

The couple had their first two children — Prince Charles in 1948 and Princess Anne in 1950 — prior to Elizabeth’s ascension to the throne in 1952. Philip was the one who broke the news to Elizabeth of her father’s death on Feb. 6, 1952, less than two weeks before the birth of their third child, Prince Andrew.

After more than 73 years of marriage, Prince Philip died in April 2021 at 99 years old. The former king and queen were survived by their four children: Charles, Prince of Wales; Anne, Princess Royal; Prince Andrew, Duke of York and Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, as well as eight grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren.

Queen Elizabeth was, in many ways, a record-setting monarch. In 2007, she surpassed her great-great-grandmother, Queen Victoria, as the longest-lived British monarch; since 2015, Queen Elizabeth has held the title of longest-reigning British monarch. 

She was also known to take her royal duties very seriously, and she considered public service “one of the most important elements of her work.” The queen was either a patron or president of over 600 charities, which included veteran support organizations, numerous children’s hospitals, climate change initiatives and support for disabled individuals. 

Her passion for service and dedication to her subjects were developed at an early age, and continued through her decades as queen. 

“I declare before you all that my whole life, whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service, and the service of our great imperial family to which we all belong,” said then-Princess Elizabeth in a speech delivered via radio broadcast from Cape Town, South Africa in 1947.

Once assuming the role as head of the commonwealth in 1952, the queen spent much of her first decade modernizing the role and image of the monarchy. In 1957, the queen delivered her Christmas address on T.V. broadcast for the first time.

“Twenty-five years ago my grandfather broadcast the first of these Christmas messages. Today is another landmark because television has made it possible for many of you to see me in your homes on Christmas Day,” the queen said at the time. “I very much hope that this new medium will make my Christmas message more personal and direct.” 

Queen Elizabeth and the larger royal family enjoyed relatively consistent national support over the next several decades — but those feelings waned amongst the public in the early 1990’s, when Princess Diana and Prince Charles’ marriage began to publicly implode. 

Revelations of infidelity in Diana and Charles’ marriage, accompanied by the separation or divorce of two other royal family members and a fire in Windsor Castle, culminated in what Queen Elizabeth referred to as her “annus horribilis,” a Latin phrase meaning “horrible year,” in late 1992. 

“1992 is not a year on which I shall look back with undiluted pleasure,” she said in a speech marking her 40th year on the throne. “In the words of one of my more sympathetic correspondents, it has turned out to be an 'Annus Horribilis'. I suspect that I am not alone in thinking it so.”

Public perception of the royal family increased after the Queen granted Charles’ divorce from the wildly popular Diana in 1996, and even more so when she first refused to fly the flags at half-mast over Buckingham Palace following Diana’s death in a car crash the following year. 

But her image was once again softened after she shielded her young grandsons — William and Harry — from intense public scrutiny following their mother’s death, and after a heartfelt address she gave before Diana’s funeral. 

“She was an exceptional and gifted human being,” the queen said of Diana. “In good times and bad, she never lost her capacity to smile and laugh, nor to inspire others with her warmth and kindness … No one who knew Diana will ever forget her.” 

Through it all, Queen Elizabeth continued to travel thousands of miles to meet members of the extended commonwealth in Northern Ireland, and overseas in the South Pacific and Australia, in Canada, and in the Caribbean. She also became the first British monarch to address a joint session of Congress following a Gulf War victory in 1991.

As the monarch of the United States’ oldest ally, Queen Elizabeth met with all but one of the U.S. presidents who held the title during her reign.

The only U.S. president the Queen did not meet during her reign was Lyndon B. Johnson, who was sworn in after President John F. Kennedy’s assassination in 1963. According to the Lyndon B. Johnson library, there is no “specific reason” why the two did not meet.

At the outset of Johnson’s presidency, the Queen was pregnant with Prince Edward. Johnson also never visited Britain while in office. 

Prince Phillip did, however, meet President Johnson in 1963 at a stateside memorial service for the late President Kennedy a mere three days after he was assassinated.

The queen has battled a number of health issues in recent months, including COVID-19, and her public appearances have been largely limited. In May, she missed the opening of Parliament for the first time in six decades, due to mobility issues. Prince Charles acted in her stead, seated beside his mother’s crown.

Queen Elizabeth’s passing comes just months after the United Kingdom celebrated her Platinum Jubilee earlier this year, a celebration marking her 70 years on the throne. In her Accession Day message to the nation, she said that she hoped the celebration would bring the nation together and celebrated the loving support of her family.

“As I look ahead with a sense of hope and optimism to the year of my Platinum Jubilee, I am reminded of how much we can be thankful for,” the monarch said in her message. “These last seven decades have seen extraordinary progress socially, technologically and culturally that have benefitted us all; and I am confident that the future will offer similar opportunities to us and especially to the younger generations in the United Kingdom and throughout the Commonwealth.”

“As I look forward to continuing to serve you with all my heart, I hope this Jubilee will bring together families and friends, neighbours and communities – after some difficult times for so many of us – in order to enjoy the celebrations and to reflect on the positive developments in our day-to-day lives that have so happily coincided with my reign,” she concluded.

Queen Elizabeth recently met with Liz Truss, the new prime minister of the United Kingdom, at Balmoral Castle, who formally asked the monarch to form a new government. The ceremony, which would normally take place at Buckingham Palace in London, was the first to take place at Balmoral. Truss became the 15th prime minister to take office during the monarch’s historic reign.