LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM – The House of Windsor and British Monarchy announced Thursday after the print deadline that Her Royal Highness Queen Elizabeth II died in the afternoon hours of Sept. 8, 2022, after reigning for 70 years; she is the world’s longest-reigning monarch.

In a press release from Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon’s Public Relations Director Michael Pearlman, the office relayed a proclamation on the death of Queen Elizabeth II and an order for U.S. Flags to be flown at half-staff in memory of the queen.

Queen Elizabeth first took the throne on Feb. 6, 1952 following her father’s death and has reigned for the last 70 years, making her the world’s longest-reigning monarch; her coronation was June 2, 1953.

She recently celebrated her 96th birthday on April 21, which was two weeks after the first anniversary of the death of her husband, King Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. The Queen also recently made a brief appearance at her Platinum Jubilee in June in honor and recognition of her 70 years in service as the country’s queen.

On the official Monarchy website, it reads: “The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon. The King and the Queen Consort will remain at Balmoral this evening and will return to London tomorrow.”

Noting, “the official website of the Royal Family is temporarily unavailable while appropriate changes are made.”

Buckingham Palace issued this statement on behalf of Prince Charles, now King Charles, “the death of my beloved mother, Her Majesty The Queen, is a moment of the greatest sadness for me and all members of my family.”

“We mourn profoundly the passing of a cherished Sovereign and a much-loved mother,” King Charles wrote. “I know her loss will be deeply felt throughout the country, the Realms and the Commonwealth, and by countless people around the world.”

Adding, “During this period of mourning and change, my family and I will be comforted and sustained by our knowledge of the respect and deep affection in which The Queen was so widely held.”

Pearlman wrote, “At the direction of the President of the United States, Governor Mark Gordon has ordered both the United States and Wyoming flags to be flown at half-staff in honor and remembrance of Queen Elizabeth, whose death at the age of 96 was announced by Buckingham Palace today.”

Adding, “Flags will remain at half-staff until the day of internment. A follow-up notification will be made when that date is announced.”

On social media, Gordon wrote, “Queen Elizabeth was a steadfast leader and patriot whose legacy of duty and service will be recognized for generations.”

“Jennie and I extend our condolences to the Royal Family and the people of the United Kingdom,” Gordon continued. “Both U.S. and Wyoming Flags have been lowered to half-staff.”

Soon-to-be Congresswoman Harriet Hageman wrote, “my deepest condolences to the Royal Family. Queen Elizabeth will be greatly missed and remembered.”

The Duke and Duchess of Cornwall, Charles and his wife Camilla, have now formally become The King and Queen Consort; the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince William and Kate Middleton, have now formally been confirmed as the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and Cambridge, making them next in the line of succession.

Neither the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and Cambridge, Prince William and Kate Middleton, nor the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, have issued statements to the press at this time.

The following is a proclamation from President Joe Biden on the death of Queen Elizabeth II.

“Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II was more than a monarch. She defined an era.

In a world of constant change, she was a steadying presence and a source of comfort and pride for generations of Britons, including many who have never known their country without her. Queen Elizabeth II led always with grace, an unwavering commitment to duty, and the incomparable power of her example. She was a stateswoman of unmatched dignity and constancy who deepened the bedrock Alliance between the United Kingdom and the United States. She helped make our relationship special. The seven decades of her history-making reign bore witness to an age of unprecedented human advancement and the forward march of human dignity. Her legacy will loom large in the pages of British history and in the story of our world.

As a mark of respect for the memory of Queen Elizabeth II, by the authority vested in me as President of the United States by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, I hereby order that the flag of the United States shall be flown at half-staff at the White House and upon all public buildings and grounds, at all military posts and naval stations, and on all naval vessels of the Federal Government in the District of Columbia and throughout the United States and its Territories and possessions until sunset, on the day of interment. I also direct that the flag shall be flown at half-staff for the same length of time at all United States embassies, legations, consular offices, and other facilities abroad, including all military facilities and naval vessels and stations.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this eighth day of September, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-two, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-seventh.”

Under a long-standing plan known as “Operation London Bridge,” her death launched a 10-day national mourning period in which automatically named her son Prince Charles as King Charles III.

Queen Elizabeth II’s reign spanned seven decades and periods of massive social, economic, technological and political changes, from being the world’s largest Empire and Commonwealth to withdrawing from the European Union. A total of 15 British Prime Ministers have served under Queen Elizabeth – from Winston Churchill and Margaret Thatcher to Boris Johnson and Liz Truss.

Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Liz Truss wrote, “Queen Elizabeth II was the rock on which modern Britain was built. Our country has grown and flourished under her reign.”

“In the difficult days ahead, we will come together with our friends across the United Kingdom, the Commonwealth and the world to celebrate her extraordinary lifetime of service,” Truss added. “It is a day of great loss, but Queen Elizabeth II leaves a great legacy. God save the King.”

Queen Elizabeth was born April 21, 1926 and was the first child of the Duke and Duchess of York, who later became King George VI and Queen Elizabeth in 1937 following the abdication of his brother King Edward VIII. The Queen was also the 32nd great-granddaughter of King Alfred the Great, England’s first monarch, who reigned from 871 to 899. Her younger sister, Margaret, was born in 1930, and both were educated by private tutors and governesses at home.

Prince Charles, now King Charles III, 73, is the oldest person to assume the British throne; no information regarding his future coronation will be available for some time.