Queen Elizabeth II was Britains longest reigning-monarch for 70 years and the head of the Church of England. She sadly passed away today with her children and the Duke of Cambridge by her side.
According to the Royal Family Twitter handle, “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.”
The Queen was under medical supervision at Balmoral due to medical concerns but was noted to be resting comfortably. “Following further evaluation this morning, the Queen’s doctors are concerned for Her Majesty’s health and have recommended she remain under medical supervision,” stated Buckingham Palace.
As part of her last public duty, the Queen appointed Britain’s new Prime Minister, Liz Truss on Tuesday.
Queen Elizabeth II was born on April 21, 1926, in Mayfair, London as the first child of King George VI who ruled until his death in 1952.
During World War II, Princess Elizabeth served in the British Army as a mechanic rising to the rank of Junior Commander.
In 1947, she married Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, before assuming the throne and had four children before Phillip died at age 99.
Her coronation ceremony was at Westminster Abbey on June 2, 1953, where she was sworn in as a monarch. She also assumed other duties such as the.head of the Church of England, given the title “Defender of the Faith and Supreme Governor of the Church of England.”
According to the Royal Family website, “on the advice of the Prime Minister, The Queen appoints Archbishops, Bishops and Deans of the Church of England, who then swear an oath of allegiance and pay homage to Her Majesty.”
“In 1970 The Queen became the first Sovereign to inaugurate and address the General Synod in person. Since then Her Majesty has inaugurated and addressed the opening session of the General Synod every five years after diocesan elections.”
Under her father’s reign as King, the British Empire began to gradually breakup and continued under Queen Elizabeth II in the 1950’s and 1960’s. As time progressed, the Empire became the Commonwealth of Nations, including many former British colonies, whose purpose was to promote economic expansion and a peaceful political process.
According to Biography.com, “Elizabeth II has thus made visits to other countries as head of the Commonwealth and a representative of Britain, including a groundbreaking trip to Germany in 1965. She became the first British monarch to make a state visit there in more than five decades. During the 1970s and 1980s, Elizabeth continued to travel extensively. In 1973 she attended the Commonwealth Conference in Ottawa, Canada, and in 1976 traveled to the United States for the 200th anniversary celebration of America’s independence from Britain.”
She was the longest serving monarch in Britain’s history as of Sept, 9 2015 and is survived by her four children, eight grandchildren, and twelve great-grandchildren.