This is an ABC News special report. - Good day everyone, I'm Amy Robach here with T.J. Holmes, and we are coming on the air with somber news from Buckingham Palace.

Queen Elizabeth II has died at the age of 96, she was of course a symbol of strength and resolve for generations, she was an influential global presence for decades and of course Britain's longest ruling monarch.

The world's second longest ruling monarch in history, her reign spanning 70 years, we just received a Tweet from the royal family saying 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. - This of course something that has been a great subject her health over the past several years, and certainly this year as well.

We just saw her celebrate 70 years, the queen's jubilee something we have never seen before that a monarch serving 70 years there.

But this statement now follows an earlier statement, Robach, that we got from the Palace which was very rare and very concerning to a lot of people that they said that there was a concern or doctors had concern about her health.

And that she was under medical supervision, people who have watched the Palace for years and years know that was almost an unprecedented statement for them to put out, and because of that there was a lot of concern about her health.

She had been on summer break at her Palace there her castle in Balmoral her home in Scotland, her kids are there prince Charles is there, princess Anne prince Edward prince Andrew, there prince William did get in a short time later, we're told prince Harry is on his way.

But, Robach, we also saw the last time a public image of her was just on Tuesday. - That's right, she appointed the new prime minister there Liz Truss, and the other reason why people were concerned there was a scheduled meeting with top ministers it was postponed yesterday.

Doctors urging the queen to get rest, her health had been a growing concern since she was hospitalized in London you may remember back in October, there was a bout with covid in February she also missed the opening of parliament in May, for only the third time.

And the queen did turn 96 in April and we all remember the celebratory platinum jubilee back in June, you're looking there by the way at a live shot at the union jack now flying at half-staff.

And certainly a much different crowd forming there near Buckingham Palace, typically we see notices, sometimes we see births.

And this time we're expecting to see of course the announcement of the death of the queen being placed at the gates of both Buckingham Palace and Balmoral as well, so we are monitoring those gates as well.

We know that our Maggie Rulli has been on the ground there in Scotland reporting, the very latest as we first got word about the queen's failing health, so Maggie, give us a sense of what things are like there and what you've learned.

I mean T.J. like you guys have said there have been so many concerns, but I think for people hearing the news for the first time right now, we're in shock, it is almost hard to imagine a world without queen Elizabeth.

She has been such a constant for the past 70 years, her face on coins, on stamps, just written into the fabric of british culture, but it's more than that the entire world knows queen Elizabeth the vast majority, know her as the british monarch, their only british monarch.