The death of Queen Elizabeth II

Our live coverage of the death of Britain's Queen Elizabeth II has ended. Read more about today's events in the posts below.

As a new era dawns in Britain, arrangements for a final farewell to Queen Elizabeth II are underway. Her son, King Charles III, has asked for a period of Royal Mourning to be observed from Friday, Sept. 9, until seven days after the Queen's funeral, according to a Buckingham Palace statement.

The date of the funeral will be confirmed "in due course," the statement added. Here's what you can expect to happen in the coming days.

Here are some of the answers to common questions:

How will the Queen's coffin return to London?

The coffin will first leave Balmoral, the Queen's Scottish rural retreat, for the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh. The property is the official residence of the British monarch in Scotland. It will then likely travel in procession to Edinburgh's St Giles' Cathedral where the Queen will lie in rest before being moved down to London.

How can the public pay their respects?

Historical precedent suggests that once in London, the Queen will likely lie in state at Westminster Hall, the oldest part of the Palace of Westminster. Past monarchs' coffins have rested on a raised platform — or catafalque — in the middle of the hall, guarded around the clock by units from the Sovereign's Bodyguard, Foot Guards or the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment.

The coffin is likely to remain there for several days and it's at this point that members of the public will be able to file past the platform and view the monarch's coffin. Thousands are expected to queue, with some potentially sleeping out overnight in a bid to pay their respects.

What might the Queen's funeral look like?

As monarch, Queen Elizabeth will automatically be granted a publicly funded state funeral. It will take place at Westminster Abbey sometime in the next two weeks, though the exact day will be confirmed in due course.

We're still a few days away from a guest list, but heads of state and dignitaries from around the world will likely make their way to the British capital to celebrate the Queen's life and 70-year service to the nation. Other familiar faces will be some of the Queen's 15 former prime ministers and senior lawmakers.

Read more.

Dame Karen Pierce, the British ambassador to the US, said while remembering the life and legacy of Queen Elizabeth II, it is important to "confront" the history.

Asked about the criticism that the monarchy and the Queen “helped obscure a bloody history of decolonization,” as Maya Jasanoff, a professor of history at Harvard, put it in an New York Times opinion piece on Thursday, Pierce pointed out the Queen's role of translating the British empire into the commonwealth.

"I would say that was a tremendous transition and very much a positive one. She presided over the way countries became independent after the second World War and then joined the commonwealth from choice. I think that's important as well," she told CNN on Friday.

Pierce said the Queen didn't have any executive action and she wasn't a government official.

"She was a constitutional monarch. She's not directly responsible in that sense for what has happened," Pierce said.

"You can't pretend to have a different history. The thing to do is confront the history in all its good things and its bad," she added, saying her thoughts in the moment mirror the sentiments of Boris Johnson during the Black Lives Matter movement

Watch the moment:

King Charles III delivered his first public address as the new British monarch on Friday, just a day after ascending to the throne following the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth II.

He paid tribute to the Queen, saying she had "a life well lived":

“In her life of service, we saw that abiding love of tradition together with that fearless embrace of progress which makes us great as nations.”

The speech was pre-recorded at Buckingham Palace earlier on Friday. Sitting behind a desk, with a picture of his mother displayed prominently to his left, Charles promised he would continue in her footsteps and serve his people:

“As the Queen herself did with such unswerving devotion, I too now solemnly pledge myself, throughout the remaining time God grants me, to uphold the Constitutional principles at the heart of our nation.”

He addressed his family, including his wife Camilla, the Queen Consort. He also said he wanted to “express my love for Harry and Meghan as they continue to build their lives overseas.” And he announced that his son William would be given the title Prince of Wales:

“With Catherine beside him, our new Prince and Princess of Wales will, I know, continue to inspire and lead our national conversations, helping to bring the marginal to the center ground where vital help can be given.”

The King also noted in his speech that the UK now is much different than it was 70 years ago, and said he is devoted to his duty to the nation, as his mother was:

"We have seen our society become one of many cultures and many faiths. The institutions of the state have changed in turn. But, through all changes and challenges, our nation and the wider family of realms — of whose talents, traditions and achievements I am so inexpressibly proud — have prospered and flourished. Our values have remained, and must remain, constant."

He ended on a personal note, with another message to the late Queen:

“To my darling mama, as you begin your last great journey, I want simply to say this: Thank you.”

When Queen Elizabeth II, the longest-reigning monarch in British history, died on Thursday at the age of 96, she left behind not just her nation and family members but a gaggle of canine companions.

Throughout her long life, she was regularly photographed with a Welsh corgi at her feet – a dog breed that became synonymous with the monarch.

At the time of her passing, Queen Elizabeth is reported to have had four dogs.

According to the American Kennel Club, she had two Pembroke Welsh corgis, Muick and Sandy, as well as an older, mixed-breed “dorgi” called Candy. A cocker spaniel, Lissy, reportedly joined the gang in January this year.

The Queen was often credited with creating the dorgi breed when her corgi mated with a dachshund owned by her sister, Princess Margaret.

Joe Little, a royal biographer and managing editor of Majesty magazine, told CNN he believes the dogs will be cared for by royal staff before being adopted by Princess Anne and Prince Andrew.

“Princess Anne has had corgis of her own in the past,” he explained. “The two most recent additions came from the Duke of York and his daughters, so perhaps they could go to him. It’s unlikely that they’ll be split up.”

The British Armed Forces have conducted gun salutes across the United Kingdom, on ships at sea and overseas to honor the late Queen Elizabeth II.

According to the UK Ministry of Defence, one round was fired for every 96 years of the monarch’s life. 

“Thousands of people stood in silence for 16 minutes at 1pm as the guns boomed once every 10 seconds,” the ministry said. 

King Charles described the death of his mother as the moment he had been “dreading” during an audience with UK Prime Minister Liz Truss on Friday. 

His comments were picked up on camera as he shook hands and posed for photos with Truss at Buckingham Palace.

"The moment I've been dreading, as I know a lot of people have," the King was overheard telling Truss.

William and Kate have had their official Twitter handle changed Friday to reflect their new titles — Prince and Princess of Wales.

King Charles III officially bestowed the title on the couple during his speech to the nation on Friday. They were previously known as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

King Charles III recorded his first televised address to the UK in a room of Buckingham Palace referred to as the Blue Drawing Room, according to a royal source.

The room is where the late Queen Elizabeth II recorded some of her annual Christmas messages over the years. On the desk where Charles sat was a floral arrangement consisting of a a posy of sweet peas mixed with rosemary, which represents remembrance, the source said. 

The vase has images of three corgis — a breed of dog the Queen was known to favor and owned two of at the time of her death — which used to be placed in her audience room.