The Queen has died

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Queen Elizabeth, Britain's longest-reigning monarch and the country's figurehead for seven decades, has died. She was 96.

Buckingham Palace said the Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon.

Her eldest son, Charles, 73, automatically becomes king of the United Kingdom and the head of state of 14 other realms including Australia, Canada and New Zealand.

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In a statement, the Palace said "the King and the Queen Consort. Camilla, will remain at Balmoral this evening and will return to London tomorrow."

Doctors had expressed concerns about the Queen’s health on Thursday, and her family had rushed to her side at Balmoral through the day.

Queen Elizabeth had been suffering from what the Palace called "episodic mobility problems" since late last year, forcing her to withdraw from most of her public engagements.

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The Queen was the UK’s longest serving monarch and was the world's oldest and longest-serving head of state.

She was crowned following the death of her father King George VI in 1952, when she was 25.

"I have in sincerity pledged myself to your service, as so many of you are pledged to mine,” the Queen said in her Coronation day speech.

Winston Churchill was prime minister at the time, Josef Stalin led the Soviet Union and the Korean War was still raging.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese paid tribute to the Queen.

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“The government and the people of Australia offer our deepest condolences to the royal family, who are grieving for a beloved mother, grandmother and great-grandmother – the person whom for so long was their greatest inner strength.

“As monarch for more than half the life of our Federation, the relationship between Australia and Britain matured and evolved throughout Her Majesty’s reign.

The Governor of Queensland, Dr Jeannette Young, has cut short a trip to Cairns.

She had been scheduled to present Australian Honours and Awards in the far north but instead, is urgently returning to Brisbane..

"As Queensland’s 27th Governor, I join with all the people of Queensland in mourning Her Majesty’s death," she said in a statement.

"May her wisdom and calm assurance forever remain a source of strength, encouragement and solace to us all.

"As an official place of mourning for all Queenslanders, Government House will open its gates to the public who wish to pay their respects at the statue of Her Majesty The Queen on the Estate."