Britain’s longest-reigning monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, died on September 8 at the age of 96. Her death at her Scottish estate, Balmoral Castle.
Key points
She was the longest serving British monarch with a reign of 70 years and 214 days. King Charles III will take over the throne after his mother.
- King Charles, aged 73, becomes head of state in 14 Commonwealth realms.
- Queen Elizabeth II was crowned queen of seven countries, and she reigned over 16 nations.
- The Queen was born Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor, in Mayfair, London, on 21 April 1926.
- She came to the throne at the age of 32 after succeeding her father king George VI in 1952.
- Her reign spanned 15 prime ministers starting with Winston Churchill, born in 1874, and including Ms Truss, born 101 years later in 1975.
- The end of her 70-year reign set in motion an elaborate plan for the next 10 days.
- The protocol, including planned ceremonial and political events and the succession of the throne, is known as Operation London Bridge.
- The fact that the Queen has died in Scotland, rather than in England, has added complex procedures – in what has been dubbed as ‘Operation Unicorn’ – to her funeral.
- The name was chosen because unicorn is the national animal of Scotland and forms part of the royal coat of arms, along with the lion of England.
- A day of state mourning will be observed in India on September 11 “as a mark of respect” for the death of Queen Elizabeth,
