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Queen Elizabeth II, the longest reigning monarch in British history, died at the age of 96.
Queen Elizabeth in 1952 Credit: Bettmann and Getty Images
Buckingham Palace confirmed the queen’s death Thursday, saying she passed at her summer home Balmoral Castle in Scotland. The news came shortly after lawmakers in the United Kingdom had been informed of the queen’s deteriorating health and of the fact that she had been placed under medical supervision.
Family members had already been gathering at the castle in recent days. Elizabeth’s death means her son Prince Charles has been elevated to the position of king.
Elizabeth reigned for more than 70 years. Her reign began in 1952, while Europe was still reeling from the devastation of World War II and spanned one of the most remarkable periods in human history.
During her time on the throne, the world rapidly globalized, the counterculture movement rose and fell, the internet was born, the space race took off, the nuclear era took hold and the U.K. shifted, once-and-for-all, away from its colonial power peak.
And while the British monarchy had its detractors, over the decades Queen Elizabeth was a generally revered figure, both at home and abroad.
In light of the queen’s death and her long-running reign, below are just a few of the residences where she spent her life and gradually became one of the most influential figures in modern history. Notably, the Royal Family has vast real estate holdings and numerous palaces, but the list below is limited to those that served as residences for Queen Elizabeth, rather than as homes for other members of the family.
Balmoral Castle
Credit: Bettmann and Getty Images
Balmoral Castle, where the queen spent her final days, sits about two-and-a-half hours north of Edinburgh. The picture above shows the queen with her husband Prince Phillip and her children Princess Anne (left), Prince Andrew (center) and Prince Charles (right) in 1960. The castle has been a home of the Royal Family since 1852 and sits on the site of an estate that belonged to the king of Scotland all the way back in the 1300s. It was reportedly Queen Elizabeth’s favorite residence.
Buckingham Palace
Credit: Dan Kitwood and Getty Images
Buckingham Palace is the best-known of the Royal Family’s residences and sits in the heart of London. It’s a favorite stop for tourists visiting the city. The palace also serves as the administrative headquarters of the monarchy. The building has been enlarged over the decades, but the main structure dates back to the early 1700s and was first built for the Duke of Buckingham. Photos shared on social media, Thursday, show mourners and fans of Queen Elizabeth gathered outside the palace to offer support.
Palace of Holyroodhouse
Credit: Jane Barlow, PA Images and Getty Images
The Palace of Holyroodhouse is located in Edinburgh and is the Royal Family’s official residence in Scotland. The building dates to the 1600s. Mourners gathered outside the palace, Thursday after news broke of the queen’s declining health and subsequent death. Photos also show a staff member posting a notice on the gate announcing the queen’s passing. Queen Elizabeth typically spent a week at the palace each summer.
Windsor Castle
Credit: Daniel Leal, AFP, and Getty Images
Windsor Castle is located about an hour outside central London. Parts of the structure date all the way back to the Norman Conquest of England nearly 1,000 years ago, and today it is the longest continuously occupied palace in Europe. Windsor Castle was Queen Elizabeth’s main residence for the last decade, and Thursday, it saw a group of people gathered outside in support of the monarchy.
Sandringham House
A general view of Sandringham house, a country house which is privately owned by the British royal family, in the village of Sandringham, Norfolk County, August 1982 (RDImages/Epics/Getty Images)
Sandringham House is located about two-and-a-half hours northeast of London. Construction on the building began in 1870 and it was the place where Elizabeth’s father King George VI and grandfather King George V both died. Though the current building is more modern, previous grand homes have existed on the site since at least the 1500s. Elizabeth typically spent a couple of months each year at the palace.
Hillsborough Castle
Credit: Xandered811 and Creative Commons
Hillsborough Castle is the official royal residence in Northern Ireland. Queen Elizabeth stayed in the home in 2002 when she was touring the U.K. as part of her Golden Jubilee.
