Queen Elizabeth, Dead At 96

Elizabeth died “peacefully” at Balmoral Castle, the queen’s privately owned property in Scotland, surrounded by her family, according to a statement from Buckingham Palace.

The queen was placed under medical supervision by her doctors earlier Thursday out of concern for her health, and all four of her children along with her grandchildren Prince William and Prince Harry (who was in Europe for several events) traveled to Balmoral to be with the queen, the palace said.

One of the queen’s last royal engagements was a Tuesday meeting with new British Prime Minister Liz Truss (the meeting would have typically taken place at Buckingham Palace, but Truss instead visited her in Scotland so the queen would not have to travel).

Elizabeth was the longest-serving head of state in the world at the time of her death, as well as the oldest British monarch and the ruler with the longest reign in the country’s history.

She sat on the throne during 15 British prime ministers’ time in office, starting with Winston Churchill’s second term, and met 13 U.S. presidents, each one since President Harry Truman with the exception of President Lyndon B. Johnson.

Elizabeth died a month after celebrations for her Platinum Jubilee culminated in August with a four-day national holiday and parades and other events across the Commonwealth, though the queen did not attend several planned appearances over her poor health.