LONDON, Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II passed away on Thursday at the age of 96 at her residence in Balmoral, Scotland after a reign of over 70 years.
Born Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor in London in 1926, her ascension to the throne was an accident of history. In 1936, her uncle, King Edward VIII abdicated to marry Wallis Simpson, a divorced American woman. Elizabeth’s shy, stammering father assumed the throne as George VI, placing her next in line.
At the time of her passing, Queen Elizabeth II was the second-longest reigning monarch in history, having served 70 years.
