Britain's Queen Elizabeth II Dies: Remembering Her Influence On PA

PENNSYLVANIA — Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, the nation's longest-reigning monarch in history, died Thursday. She was 96.

Elizabeth had been under close medical supervision at her summer residence in Scotland amid concerns over her health. With the death of the queen, her son Charles automatically becomes monarch. Coronation may not take place for months, and it's not yet known whether he will choose to call himself King Charles III or some other name.

Though an ocean away, Elizabeth's death reverberated across America and in Pennsylvania. The monarch visited Philadelphia in 1976 to commemorate the United States bicentennial and to visit Independence Hall. While there, she presented the country with the Bicentennial Bell, still displayed at the museum, as a gift from Britain. She also gave a speech in which she called the Revolutionary War a "lesson" for her country.

>>Queen Elizabeth II, Britain's Monarch For 70 Years, Dies

"It seems to me that Independence Day, the Fourth of July, should be celebrated as much in Britain as in America," she said at the time, in remarks published by Independence Hall. "Not in rejoicing at the separation of the American Colonies from the British Crown, but in sincere gratitude to the Founding Fathers of this great Republic for having taught Britain a very valuable lesson."

She went on to add in her Philadelphia remarks that Britain "lost the American Colonies because we lacked that statesmanship 'to know the right time, and the manner of yielding, what is impossible to keep.'"

For years, the queen's Bicentennial Bell rang from the tower on 3rd Street, between Chestnut and Walnut streets, at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.

The queen's death comes a day after she canceled a virtual meeting of her Privy Council, citing advice from doctors to rest. On Tuesday, she had formally asked Liz Truss to become Britain's prime minister.

"Following further evaluation this morning, the Queen's doctors are concerned for Her Majesty's health and have recommended she remain under medical supervision,'' a palace spokesperson said, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with customary policy. "The Queen remains comfortable and at Balmoral."

The palace declined to provide further details about the queen's condition, but there were worrying signs that it might be serious. A Cabinet minister interrupted Truss during a debate in the House of Commons to inform her about Elizabeth's condition and family members canceled long-planned engagements to travel to the Highlands.

The Associated Press contributed reporting to this story.