UPDATE: Queen Elizabeth II died Thursday after 70 years on the throne. See our updated coverage here.
Buckingham Palace said Thursday that Queen Elizabeth II is under medical supervision because doctors are “concerned for Her Majesty’s health," as members of her family traveled to be with the 96-year-old monarch in Scotland.
The palace declined to provide further details about the seriousness of the queen’s condition, only saying the queen is “comfortable” and remains at Balmoral Castle in Aberdeenshire, where she has spent the summer.
The announcement comes a day after the 96-year-old monarch canceled a meeting of her Privy Council and was told to rest. The decision sparked renewed concern about the health of Elizabeth, who marked seven decades on the throne this year. She has increasingly handed over duties to her heir, Prince Charles, and other members of the royal family in recent months as she struggled to get around.
"TODAY" show correspondent Jenna Bush-Hager revealed Thursday that she was at the Dumfries House in Scotland for an interview with Prince Charles and Camilla Parker-Bowles, but the event was canceled shortly before filming because the Duchess of Cornwall and the Prince of Wales were rushing to Balmoral to be by the Queen's side.
Prince William was also headed to Scotland to be with grandmother, Kensington Palace said in a statement. A spokesperson for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex said Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were also traveling to Aberdeenshire, as were Prince Andrew and the Earl and Countess of Wessex.
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British Prime Minister Liz Truss tweeted her well wishes for the queen on Thursday, saying the whole country "will be deeply concerned" about the news of her health.
U.S. & World
The gathering of the House of Windsor comes just three months after people across Britain paused over a long holiday weekend to celebrate the queen's 70 years on the throne. While crowds of cheering, flag-waving fans filled the streets around Buckingham Palace throughout four days of festivities, the queen herself made only two brief appearances on the palace balcony to wave to her subjects.
Elizabeth has increasingly handed over duties to Charles and other members of the royal family in recent months as she recovered from a bout of COVID-19, began using a cane and struggled to get around.
Since assuming the throne after the death of her father on Feb. 6, 1952, Elizabeth has been a symbol of stability as Britain negotiated the end of empire, the dawn of the information age and the mass migration that transformed the country into a multicultural society.
Queen Elizabeth II: A Royal Life in Pictures
Throughout it all, the queen has built a bond with the nation through a seemingly endless series of public appearance as she opened libraries, dedicated hospitals and bestowed honors on deserving citizens.
She worked steadily into the twilight of her reign. But the death of Prince Philip, her husband of more than 70 years, in April of last year reminded the U.K. that the reign of the queen, the only monarch most of her subjects have ever known, is finite.
That truth was the subtext of the Platinum Jubilee celebrations as newspapers, television news shows and even the walls of the palace were filled with images of Elizabeth as she changed from a glamorous young queen in crown and diamonds to a kind of global grandmother known for her omnipresent handbag and love of horses and corgis.
Charles was front and center throughout the festivities as he stood in for his mother and demonstrated that he was ready to take on her mantle.
Wearing a ceremonial scarlet tunic and bearskin hat, he reviewed the troops during the Queen’s Birthday Parade on the opening day of the jubilee. The next day, he was the last guest to enter St. Paul’s Cathedral and took his seat at the front of the church for a service of thanksgiving in honor of the queen. At a star-studded concert in front of Buckingham Palace, he delivered the main tribute to the woman he addressed as, “Your Majesty, mummy.”
