Prime Minister Liz Truss has led the tributes to Queen Elizabeth whose death was announced by Buckingham Palace earlier today.
The Queen who died at the age of 96 at Balmoral in Scotland, surrounded by her family and her heir Prince Charles, who now becomes King.
In a statement, Truss said it was a "huge shock to the nation and the world".
She said: "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 champion the development of the Commonwealth, from a small group of seven countries, to a family of 56 nations, spanning every continent of the world.
"We are now a modern, thriving, dynamic nation. Through thick and thin Queen Elizabeth provided us with the stability and the strength that we needed. She was the very spirit of Great Britain, and that spirit will endure."
Truss only met the Queen on Tuesday lunchtime in the castle at Balmoral when she was officially asked to take over from Boris Johnson as Prime Minister.
Labour leader Keir Starmer said he mourned the passing of a remarkable sovereign.
He added: “We will always treasure Queen Elizabeth II’s life of service and devotion to our nation and the Commonwealth; our longest-serving and greatest monarch.
"Above the clashes of politics, she stood not for what the nation fought over, but what it agreed upon. As Britain changed rapidly around her, this dedication became the still point of our turning world.
"So as our great Elizabethan era comes to an end, we will honour the late Queen’s memory by keeping alive the values of public service she embodied. “For seventy years, Queen Elizabeth II stood as the head of our country. But, in spirit, she stood amongst us."
While Ed Davey, the leader of the Lib Dems, said: “For many people - myself included - The Queen was an ever-fixed mark in our lives. As the world around us changed and politicians came and went, The Queen was our constant.
"Her presence will be greatly missed.” “The Queen represented duty and courage, as well as warmth and compassion. She was a living reminder of our collective past, of the greatest generation and their sacrifices for our freedom.”
The Speaker of the House of Commons, said: “The Queen has been involved in everything that is important to us and which makes us who we are - from state occasions to Royal weddings, and especially at Christmas, with her wise words and reflective annual message. She has been a mother, grandmother and great-grandmother - but she has been our Queen, and we will miss her beyond measure.”
The Queen had ongoing mobility issues and looked bright but frail while using a walking stick during Tuesday's audience with Truss, which followed a visit from outgoing prime minister Boris Johnson as he tendered his resignation.
Heir to the throne Charles was said to have been making regular morning visits to see his mother later in the summer as she continued to struggle with her mobility.
She missed the annual Braemar Gathering highland games, which she usually attends, last weekend.
During her Platinum Jubilee celebrations, the Queen only travelled to Buckingham Palace twice, first for her Trooping the Colour balcony appearance and then for a finale after the pageant.
She secretly spent a night in hospital for tests in October and was ordered by doctors to rest for the next three months, missing the Remembrance Sunday Cenotaph service and Cop26 climate change talks.
The Queen caught Covid in February. After experiencing mild cold-like symptoms, she said the virus left her "very tired and exhausted". The Queen was the only British monarch to have celebrated a Platinum Jubilee.
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