Britain's Queen Elizabeth II passes away at the age of 96; Charles becomes the new King

Queen Elizabeth II, Britain's longest-serving monarch, passed away on Thursday. She was 96. Earlier in the day, she was kept under medical supervision at Balmoral, her residence in Scotland. Buckingham Palace in a statement said that following evaluation this morning, the Queen's doctors were concerned for her health "and have recommended she remain under medical supervision".

Later, the Palace in a statement said: "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."

Born in April 1926, Elizabeth was crowned in 1952 - five years after she married to Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Prince Philip died in April 2021.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a tweet said he had memorable meetings with Queen Elizabeth II during his UK visits in 2015 and 2018. "I will never forget her warmth and kindness. During one of the meetings, she showed me the handkerchief Mahatma Gandhi gifted her at her wedding. I will always cherish that gesture," he said.

The Queen had been suffering from age-related mobility issues for quite some time now, which was why she did not travel to London to appoint new Prime Minister Liz Truss earlier this week. The Queen appointed Truss as PM in Scotland.

Truss in a tweet earlier in the day said that the whole country would be deeply concerned by the news - that she was under medical supervision - from Buckingham Palace this lunchtime. "My thoughts and the thoughts of people across our United Kingdom are with Her Majesty The Queen and her family at this time," she had said.

Prince Charles, eldest son of Queen Elizabeth, is now the King of Britain. The Palace also put out a statement by the King on the passing away of the Queen. Charles said the death of his beloved mother was a moment of the "greatest sadness" for him and all his family members.

"We mourn profoundly the passing away of a cherished Sovereign and a much-loved mother. Her loss will be deeply felt throughout the country, the Realms, and the Commonwealth, and by countless people around the world," he said.