Queen Elizabeth II

Queen Elizabeth dies at age 96

Photo courtesy of Julian Calder via WikiMedia Commons.
Queen Elizabeth II, above, pictured in 2011.

By Anoushka Kuswaha ’24

News Editor

Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom died at 96 years old on Sept. 8, 2022, at her Scottish estate, Balmoral Castle, according to BBC News. The former queen acceded to the British throne in 1952, following the death of her father, King George V. Her 70-year reign is the longest in British history, according to CNBC. 

Buckingham Palace announced her death at 6:30 p.m. BST. News of the monarch’s death followed an early-afternoon statement from Buckingham Palace announcing that the queen had been placed under medical supervision, according to The New York Times. Her cause of death remains unknown.

The queen’s death paved the way for her son, Charles III, to assume the throne. In a break from tradition, he will be retaining his given name as his regnal name — King Charles III. King Charles is the oldest person to become monarch in British history, taking the throne at the age of 73, according to The New York Times.