Queen Elizabeth II has died aged 96 after 70 years of reign.
Buckingham Palace announced that the Queen died peacefully on the afternoon of 8 September at her Scottish estate, Balmoral, surrounded by senior members of her family.
Prince Charles ascends the throne as King Charles III and new Head of the Commonwealth, with the Duchess of Cornwall, Camilla, on his side as Queen Consort.
His Majesty paid tribute to the late Queen, saying the death of his beloved mother represented “a moment of the greatest sadness” and her loss would be “deeply felt throughout the country, the Realms and the Commonwealth, and by countless people around the world”.
The Palace has confirmed the King and the Queen Consort will return to London on 9 September.
The Church of England has announced church bells will be tolled across the country.
A gun salute of 96 rounds to mark each year of the Queen’s life will take place at 13:00 BST in London, and elsewhere.
The Commonwealth Secretary-General, Patricia Scotland, has joined the Royal Family and the world in mourning.
“Her Majesty was an extraordinary person, who lived an extraordinary life: a constant presence and example for each of us, guiding and serving us all for as long as any of us can remember,” she said.
“Throughout her reign, and seven decades of extraordinary change and challenge, Her Majesty was the epitome of duty, stability, wisdom and grace. Her Majesty loved the Commonwealth, and the Commonwealth loved her.”
Scotland said the growth and vibrancy of the Commonwealth “is a credit to her and testament to her dedication, wisdom and leadership”. She praised her everlasting devotion and commitment to the family of nations, as she led it gracefully inspired by passion and animation.
“I will miss her greatly, the Commonwealth will miss her greatly, and the world will miss her greatly,” Scotland concluded.
“We will never see her like again.”
UK’s new Prime Minister, Liz Truss, has paid her respects to the late monarch, describing her as “the rock on which modern Britain was built”. Truss finally called on the nation to come together to help the new King fulfil his duty.
“With the King’s family, we mourn the loss of his mother,” she said.
“And as we mourn, we must come together as a people to support him. To help him bear the awesome responsibility that he now carries for us all.
“With the passing of the second Elizabethan age, we usher in a new era in the magnificent history of our great country, exactly as Her Majesty would have wished, by saying the words… God save the King.”
Truss was appointed as new PM by the late Queen Elizabeth earlier this week, on 6 September.
