First reactions to the death of Queen Elizabeth II

The UK's Queen Elizabeth II has died aged 96 at her Balmoral residence in Scotland.

"The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon," Buckingham Palace announced at 6:30 p.m. local time in the UK.

Britain's longest-serving monarch was taken ill earlier on Thursday, having canceled an appointment with the Privy Council on Wednesday.

Her family members that were not already present in Balmoral rushed to the scene.

Buckingham Palace's statement said that her heir, Prince Charles, now King Charles III, and his wife Camilla, the queen consort, would remain at Balmoral and would return to London in the morning.