Queen Elizabeth II, the UK's longest-serving monarch, has died at Balmoral aged 96, after reigning for 70 years.

She died peacefully on Thursday afternoon at her Scottish estate, where she had spent much of the summer.

The Queen came to the throne in 1952 and witnessed enormous social change.

Her son King Charles III said the death of his beloved mother was a "moment of great sadness" for him and his family and that her loss would be "deeply felt" around the world.

He said: "We mourn profoundly the passing of a cherished sovereign and a much-loved mother.

"I know her loss will be deeply felt throughout the country, the realms and the Commonwealth, and by countless people around the world."

During the coming period of mourning, he said he and his family would be "comforted and sustained by our knowledge of the respect and deep affection in which the Queen was so widely held".

King Charles to be officially proclaimed at accession council tomorrow

The King will officially be proclaimed at the accession council at 10am on Saturday in the state apartments of St James’s Palace, Buckingham Palace has said.

The Accession Council will be followed by the Principal Proclamation, which will be read at 11am from the balcony overlooking Friary Court at St James’s Palace.

The Proclamation will be read by Garter King of Arms, accompanied by the Earl Marshal, other Officers of Arms and the Serjeants at Arms.

This is the first public reading of the Proclamation.

A second proclamation will be read in the City of London, at the Royal Exchange, at midday.

Further proclamations will be read in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales at midday on Sunday.

In recognition of the new Sovereign, flags will be flown at full-mast from the time of the principal proclamation at St James’s Palace until one hour after the proclamations in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales, after which flags will return to half-mast in mourning for the death of the Queen.