Queen Elizabeth II, who has reigned for 70 years, died on Thursday (September 8) at the age of 96. An announcement from Buckingham Palace said that she passed away peacefully at Balmoral in the afternoon.
"The King and Queen Consort will remain at Balmoral overnight, before returning to London in the morning," the statement said. Doctors became concerned for the Queen's health and she was put under medical supervision.
Buckingham Palace had issued a statement earlier today, saying: "Following further evaluation this morning The Queen’s doctors are concerned for Her Majesty’s health and have recommended she remain under medical supervision."
Read more: Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II dies, aged 96
Charles, Prince of Wales, will now become King. His wife, Duchess Camilla, will therefore become Queen Consort upon his succession to the throne.
A Queen Consort is the title for the wife of a reigning king. She usually shares her spouse's social rank and status.
Camilla dated Charles in the 1970s after they reportedly met on a polo field, but at the age of 26 she married cavalry officer Andrew Parker Bowles in July 1973. Charles was heartbroken and spilled out his feelings in a letter to his great-uncle, Lord Mountbatten, declaring: “I suppose the feeling of emptiness will pass eventually.”
After Charles and Diana, Princess of Wales, separated, the princess went on Panorama in 1995 and proclaimed “there were three of us in this marriage”. Charles and Camilla finally wed in April 2005 at the Guildhall in Windsor, with Camilla becoming the Duchess of Cornwall, HRH and a member of the royal family.
Read next:
When does Prince Charles become King following the death of Queen Elizabeth?
A moment that broke the nation's hearts - the Queen mourns Prince Philip alone
What happens now the Queen has died? From funeral plans to national mourning
Will there be a national period of mourning following the Queen's death?
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