The prime minister has paid tribute to the Queen following her death aged 96, just two days after she invited her to form a government.

Speaking outside Downing Street, Liz Truss, her 15th prime minister, said she had been a ‘personal inspiration’ with her sense of duty an ‘example to us all’.

Dressed in black, she said the news was a ‘huge shock to the nation and the world’.

She ended her speech by saying ‘God save the King’, with the head of state now her son King Charles III.

Earlier today, Ms Truss had tweeted: ‘The whole country will be deeply concerned by the news from Buckingham Palace this lunchtime.

‘My thoughts – and the thoughts of people across our United Kingdom – are with Her Majesty The Queen and her family at this time.’

With the Queen’s passing, her son King Charles III released a statement saying: ‘We mourn profoundly the passing of a cherished Sovereign and a much-loved Mother.

Queen Elizabeth II dead: Key details

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II has died after 70 years on the throne, with her death announced by Buckingham Palace on 8 September 2022.

She passed away at the age of 96 years old surrounded by her family at her home in Balmoral, including her son and heir to the throne Charles, the Prince of Wales, and her grandsons, the Duke Of Cambridge, Prince William and the Duke of Sussex, Prince Harry.

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

The prime minister, who took over from Boris Johnson on September 6, was invited to meet the Queen in Balmoral Castle in Scotland rather than Buckingham Palace due to the monarch’s mobility issues.

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A privy council meeting due to take place soon afterwards was cancelled as doctors advised the Queen needed to rest.

Throughout her 70-year reign, the Queen held weekly audiences with her Prime Ministers.

Her relationship with Ms Truss had the potential to be somewhat awkward, as in her youth as a Liberal Democrat she had called for the monarchy to be abolished.

However, in later years she rowed back on this approach, saying that she was ‘wrong to say what I did’.

The Queen has won praise across the globe for her public service and also dealt with various world leaders from the 15 countries where she is the head of state and the 36 other nations of the Commonwealth where she has served as a symbolic figurehead.

She wrote that no other Prime Minister would ‘ever for me be able to hold the place of my first prime minister, to whom both my husband and I owe so much and for whose wise guidance during the early years of my reign I shall always be so profoundly grateful’.

The Queen also broke Royal protocol by turning up to Sir Winston’s funeral before his family, in what was considered a mark of respect.

Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon tweeted this evening: ‘The death of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth is a profoundly sad moment for the UK, the Commonwealth and the world.

‘Her life was one of extraordinary dedication and service. On behalf of the people of Scotland, I convey my deepest condolences to The King and the Royal Family.’

This is a breaking news story, more to follow soon… Check back shortly for further updates.

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