Queen Elizabeth II is dead. The monarch died peacefully at her Scottish country estate, Balmoral Castle, at the age of 96, the palace announced on Thursday evening.

Her eldest son Charles (73) will now ascend the throne after decades of waiting.

"We are in deep mourning for a cherished sovereign and a well-loved mother," said the new King Charles III.

With

Behind his father Charles, Queen's grandson Prince William (40) is heir to the throne.

Number two in line to the throne is now 9-year-old Prince George.

His siblings Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis have overtaken their uncle Harry in the line of succession.

Princes no longer precede princesses in the line of succession to the Windsors.

This puts William's younger brother in fifth place.

Prince Harry's son Archie is sixth, daughter Lilibet is number seven.

The process that is set in motion after the death of the Queen follows a previously firmly regulated process: First, the British Prime Minister Liz Truss was informed of the death of the monarch with the sentence "London Bridge is down".

This is followed by a precisely regulated procedure codenamed "Operation London Bridge" and which regulates the order in which who is informed.

Parts of "Operation London Bridge" have already been implemented.

British broadcasters interrupted their programs for news of the death and obituaries of Elizabeth II. BBC presenters appeared in black.

The royal family's website - royal.uk - broke the news with a picture of the Queen at a young age against a black background.

The flags at Buckingham Palace in London were flown at half-mast.

All political activities have been suspended for the time being.

According to the plan for "Operation London Bridge", a special body, the Accession Council, is to meet the morning after the Queen's death and declare heir apparent Prince Charles as the new king.

The Queen's eldest son has announced that he will take the name Charles III as King.

will lead.

The proclamation is delivered by the senior herald, the Garter King of Arms.

Half a dozen heralds then travel by carriage to Trafalgar Square and then to the Stock Exchange to read out the message.

According to information from the Scottish newspaper The Herald, huge crowds are expected in Scotland to mourn the death of the Queen.

It is clear that the Scottish Parliament, "the neighboring Holyroodhouse Palace and St. Giles Cathedral will be the focal points".

Holyroodhouse is the Queen's official residence in Edinburgh.

A book of condolences will be laid out in the neighboring parliament building in which grieving citizens can write their names.

The Queen's body will first be laid out in Holyroodhouse, according to The Herald, after which her coffin will be taken to St Giles Cathedral.

Eventually he is taken to London by train from Waverley station in Edinburgh.

The Queen's funeral will take place there in a week and a half.