Queen Elizabeth II Dies at the Age of 96

Britain’s longest reigning monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, died peacefully at Balmoral Castle in Scotland Thursday, according to Buckingham Palace. Members of the Royal Family were by her side, after receiving news that doctors were “concerned about her health”. 2022 marked the monarch’s Platinum Jubilee, 70 years on the throne. She was still carrying out royal duties Tuesday, appointing her 15th Prime Minister, Liz Truss. Queen Elizabeth met 13 out of 14 U.S. presidents (she did not meet Lyndon B. Johnson). She also met five popes during her lifetime. Pope Francis sent a telegram to her son, King Charles III, who ascended to the throne immediately following her death. 

“I willingly join all who mourn her loss in praying for the late queen’s eternal rest and in paying tribute to her life of unstinting service to the good of the nation and the Commonwealth, her example of devotion to duty, her steadfast witness of faith in Jesus Christ and her firm hope in his promises,” Pope Francis said. 

Cardinal Vincent Nichols of Westminster, England, and President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales said in a statement, “Even in my sorrow, shared with so many around the world, I am filled with an immense sense of gratitude for the gift to the world that has been the life of Queen Elizabeth II.” 

Read Cardinal Nichols's full statement here.