Queen Elizabeth II dies, palace announces

* King Charles shares moving tribute to his late mother Queen Elizabeth II
* Prince Harry pictured after missing his grandmother Queen Elizabeth's death by more than an hour
* Here is what Queen Elizabeth II's passing means for New Zealand
* Sir Elton John leads touching celebrity tributes to the late Queen Elizabeth
* Here's what will happen to our bank notes and coins following Queen Elizabeth II's passing

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II has died at age 96.

In a statement, Buckingham Palace said: "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. Thursday, 8 September 2022"

Queen Elizabeth II - who was born in 1926 - was the UK’s longest-reigning monarch and marked her Platinum Jubilee in June of 2022.

Members of the Royal family had rushed to be with her at Balmoral overnight.

A fleet of cars carrying Prince William, Prince Andrew, Prince Edward and his wife Sophie, the Countess of Wessex, had earlier arrived at Balmoral Castle.

The plane carrying the royal party arrived at Aberdeen Airport just before 4pm Thursday (3am NZT Friday) and arrived at the queen's estate about an hour later. Prince Charles - now King Charles - along with his wife, Camilla, and sister, Princess Anne, who were already in Scotland, arrived at Balmoral Castle earlier Thursday.

Prince Harry, who was due to appear at a charity awards ceremony in London later Thursday, cancelled that appearance and was making his way to Scotland separately.

Her death comes a day after the queen cancelled a virtual meeting of her Privy Council when doctors advised her to rest following a full day of events on Tuesday, when she formally asked Liz Truss to become UK prime minister.

King Charles mourned the passing of his mother soon after her death was announced.

"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.

"I know her loss will be deeply felt throughout the country, the Realms and the Commonwealth, and by countless people around the world.

"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."

World leaders, including New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern have released tributes.

"I know that I speak for people across New Zealand in offering our deepest sympathy to members of the Royal Family at the passing of the Queen," Ardern said in an early morning statement today. "To us she was a much admired and respected monarch, to them she was a mother and grandmother."

Queen Elizabeth II is survived by her four children, eight grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren. With Charles now King, his eldest son, Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge, assumes the position of heir to the throne.

Her passing follows the death of her husband Prince Philip, who died aged 99 in April 2021. The royal pair had been married for 73 years.

Photo / Getty

The Queen will be remembered for her selfless devotion to duty and the cause of the monarchy - which carried her through countless political and personal crises, often involving members of her own family.

Throughout it all - from the highs of her coronation and jubilee celebrations to the depths of her self-declared "annus horribilis" in 1992, when her children's marriages fell apart - her calm and dignified manner ensured strong public support throughout her long reign.

The Queen's death now triggers a series of events to allow her family and her subjects around the world to grieve.

Her body will be at Buckingham Palace for several days so the Royal family can grieve together.

While flags around the Commonwealth have been lowered to mark The Queen's passing.

The next 10 days will be a time of mourning as the Queen’s coffin will lie in state at Westminster Abbey for the public to pay their respects, before a state funeral led by the Archbishop of Canterbury.

On the morning of the funeral, the hammer of the Big Ben bell will be covered by leather to muffle its tones and there will be a 41-gun salute from Hyde Park.

The Queen will then be transported to Winsor Castle where she will be laid to rest alongside 10 other former monarchs.

Following the day of Queen Elizabeth’s funeral, her eldest son Charles will be proclaimed King, and his wife will become officially known as Queen Camilla.

Rest in peace, Queen Elizabeth II.

The Hits, additional reporting, NZ Herald, news.com.au, AP