Queen Elizabeth II Has Died At The Age Of 96

Queen Elizabeth II, Queen of the United Kingdom and 14 other sovereign countries and head of the Commonwealth, has died aged 96, Buckingham Palace has announced. 

A statement issued by the palace said the Queen “died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon,” on September 8.

Elizabeth was born in 1926 and started her reign in 1952 after the death of her father King George VI, with her coronation taking place in 1953. This makes her the longest-lived and longest-reigning British monarch and the oldest and longest-serving incumbent head of state.

“The King and The Queen Consort will remain at Balmoral this evening and will return to London tomorrow,” read the rest of the statement.

At 12.20pm on Thursday 8 September, it was announced by Buckingham Palace that the royal doctors were concerned for the Queen's health and she was under "medical supervision" at Balmoral.

Senior royals, including Prince William and Prince Harry, and the heir apparent Prince Charles travelled to be by her side.

The last photos published were of the Queen meeting Liz Truss on Tuesday, September 6, her 15th prime minister since the start of her reign. In recent weeks and months, her duties had been reduced out of concerns for her health and mobility.

The Queen is survived by a large extended family, including her four children, eight grandchildren and 12 great grandchildren. Her eldest son, Charles, is now King and will be known as King Charles III.

"We mourn profoundly the passing of a cherished Sovereign and a much-loved Mother," he said in a statement following the death.

The royal family has been linked to some controversies in the Queen's final years.

The Queen's grandson, Prince Harry, and his wife, Meghan Markle, stood back from official royal duties, moved to Los Angeles and accused the family of racism in an interview with Oprah Winfrey — which the royals denied.

Her son Prince Andrew was also stripped of his royal duties and military appointments as a result of the questions surrounding his friendship with the late accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein and allegations that he also abused underage girls (which he denied).

In Australia, social media has been flooded with messages and tributes about the Queen, as well as questions about what will happen to Australian money, and reports that parliament will be suspended for 15 days.

In the wake of the Queen's death, Greens leader Adam Bandt has called for Australia to become a republic. The last referendum on the republic was in 1999.