Queen Elizabeth II Dies: UK’s Longest-Serving Monarch Was 96

Queen Elizabeth II has died aged 96. The royal, who was the world’s second longest-serving monarch after ruling for 70 years, will be replaced by her son Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales.

She is survived by Charles and her other three children, Andrew, Anne and Edward, along with grandchildren including Prince William, who is now second in line to the throne, and Prince Harry, who lives in the U.S. Her husband of 73 years, Prince Philip, died in 2021 aged 99.

Hollywood & Media Deaths 2022: A Photo Gallery

One of the world’s most highly-respected heads of state, Queen Elizabeth II was born the first daughter of King George VI in 1936 and became the UK’s monarch at just 25 upon her father’s death, with her coronation taking place in 1953.

She remained in post for 70 years, overseeing the reign of 15 Prime Ministers and historical events including the Suez Canal scandal, UK miners’ strike, Gulf Wars, Britain’s entry and exit into the European Union, and, latterly, the Covid-19 pandemic. Just this week, Liz Truss travelled to meet her at Balmoral so the Queen could formally ask her to form her new government — a key British constitutional act.

The Queen’s movements and major decisions have been well documented over the years through a wealth of films and TV shows, including Netflix’s global mega-hit The Crown, in which she has been played by Claire Foy, Olivia Colman and Imelda Staunton.

She carried out duties until the very end, regularly travelling the world and meeting heads of state in the other countries she technically ruled over, including Canada, Australia and the Caribbean Islands. Over recent months, she has passed more and more duties over to Prince Charles, who is now set to become the UK’s first King since 1953.

She also experienced personal tragedy, including the sudden death in 1997 of Prince Charles’ wife Diana. Her annus horribilis, an expression she brought to modern prominence, came in 1992 when Diana published a tell-all book detailing the problems in her marriage with Charles and his affair with now-Queen Consort Camilla Parker Bowles.

More recently, she has had to deal with the accusations made against Prince Andrew by Virginia Giuffre of abuse, which was settled out of court for around £12M ($16.4M), some of which was reported to have come from her private purse.

She replaced Queen Victoria as the UK’s longest-serving monarch in September 2015 and is the second longest-serving monarch of all time worldwide, after France’s Louis XIV.

More follows

Must Read Stories

‘Blonde’ Presser, Review; ‘Dead For A Dollar’, ‘Dreamin’ Wild’, Hugh Jackman, Galleries & More

‘Squid Game’s Lee Jung-Jae Lands Male Lead In Lucasfilm’s ‘Star Wars’ Series ‘The Acolyte’

Richard Weitz & Christian Muirhead Named Co-Chairmen As Lloyd Braun Is Stepping Down

Jane Fonda & Lily Tomlin ‘Moving On’ To New Movie And Life After ‘Grace And Frankie’

Read More About:

Source: Read Full Article