PRIME Minister Liz Truss has said the death of the Queen is a "huge shock" as she paid tribute in Downing Street.
The newly appointed PM, dressed in black, addressed the nation outside No 10 at 7.10 pm.
She said: “We are all devastated by the news that we have just heard from Balmoral.
“The death of Her Majesty the Queen is a huge shock to the nation and to the world.
"Queen Elizabeth II was the rock on which modern Britain was built.
"Our country has grown and flourished under her reign, Britain is the great country it is today because of her.
"She ascended the throne just after the second world war.
"She championed the development of the commonwealth from a small group of seven countries to a family of 56 nations, spanning every continent of the world."
Truss then said the UK is a "modern, thriving, dynamic" nation, and said the Queen provided the "strength and stability we needed".
The PM added: “It’s an extraordinary achievement to have presided with such dignity and grace for 70 years. Her life of service stretched beyond most of our living memories.
“In return, she was loved and admired by the people in the United Kingdom and all around the world.
“She has been a personal inspiration to me and to many Britons – her devotion to duty is an example to us all.”
With Charles becoming King immediately after the death of his mother, Truss said that the public should "come together as a people to support him, to help him bear the awesome responsibility that he now carries for us all".
“Today the crown passes, as it has done for more than 1,000 years, to our new monarch, to our new head of state, His Majesty King Charles III," she added.
Truss finished her speech by stating that the second Elizabethan era had ended, saying: "We usher in a new era in the magnificent history of our great country, exactly as Her Majesty would have wished, by saying the words ‘God save the King’.”
She then immediately returned inside the doors of Number 10.
Her predecessor Boris Johnson said the Queen had “modernised the constitutional monarchy” and “produced an heir to the throne who will amply do justice to her legacy”.
“Though our voices may still be choked with sadness, we can say with confidence the words not heard in this country for more than seven decades: God save the King.”
