Queen Elizabeth II Dead at 96: Watch the Moment It Was Announced

Queen Elizabeth II, Britain's longest-reigning monarch, has died. She was 96.

BBC News announced the Queen's death Thursday afternoon in a special report.

"The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon," Buckingham Palace said in a statement. "The King and The Queen Consort will remain at Balmoral this evening and will return to London tomorrow."

News of Elizabeth's passing comes just hours after it was reported that her health was ailing and her family had traveled to be by her side in Balmoral, Scotland. Queen Elizabeth II began her reign after the death of her father King George VI in 1952, when she was just 25 years old. In February of this year, the Queen celebrated 70 years on the throne, marking the occasion with a Platinum Jubilee. She was the first British monarch to ever reach the milestone.

The Queen's life was dramatized on-screen many times over the course of her reign, most notably in Netflix's The Crown, where she has been portrayed by Claire Foy and Olivia Colman, and in feature film The Queen, a role that earned Helen Mirren an Academy Award. 

Prince Philip, the Queen's husband of over seven decades, passed away last year at the age of 99. Elizabeth is survived by her four children, as well as several grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Her eldest son Charles, 73, is now king.

Jade Budowski is a freelance writer with a knack for ruining punchlines and harboring dad-aged celebrity crushes. She was previously a reporter/producer at Decider and is a member of the Television Critics Association. Follow her on Twitter: @jadebudowski.