Queen Elizabeth II, Britain's longest serving monarch has died at age 96.
Crowds swelled outside the Buckingham Palace as the news broke out setting off devestation among the public.
The Buckingham Palace announced on Thursday "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.”
Heir to the throne, Charles succeeds as king of the United Kingdom and its Commonwealth Realms immediately after the Queen's 70 years of reign.
The Queen who maintained the monarchy through the turbulent times post world war 2, accended the throne on June 2, 1952 at the age of 25 upon the death of her father, George VI.
No official details have been released about what will happen over the coming days, but it is anticipated that the Queen will be given a full state funeral, as is tradition to mark the death of a monarch.
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