Tonight the world mourns queen elizabeth britain's longest serving monarch has died at age 96. the queen dying peacefully at balmoral castle in scotland just hours after palace doctors announced they were concerned for her health her family including her four children rushing to be by her side her grandsons prince william and prince.

Harry traveling there separately the monarch's death coming just two days after she was photographed meeting the uk's new prime minister who now has the duty of leading a nation in grief tributes for the queen pouring in across the uk and across the world as thousands gathered outside of buckingham palace a double rainbow was spotted over her.

London home as news of her death broke and landmarks all over the world lit up for the queen sports teams even the new york stock exchange stopping to honor her also in the u.s flags at the white house lowered the half staff president biden calling her a quote states woman of unmatched dignity who defined an era and over her historic 70-year reign the.

Queen meeting all but one u.s president since 1951 a look back at the key role she played in the relationship between the u.s and the uk for generations and tonight a new came immediately following queen elizabeth's death her eldest son charles took the throne his message to his country commonwealths and the world as we prepare to say goodbye to a queen.

Top story starts right now good evening i'm gotti schwartz in for tom yamas it is the end of a historic rain britain's longest serving monarch queen elizabeth has died at age 96 and tonight the uk has a new king the queen who served for 70 years and was the only monarch most of her subjects have ever.

Known died this afternoon at her scotland estate balmoral castle the former uk prime minister calling it quote the country's saddest day the royal family including her four children and grandchildren arriving at the castle earlier today after palace doctors expressed grave concern over her health as words spread about her death this.

Stunning scene a double rainbow over buckingham palace in london here's a live look from buckingham palace where massive crowds have been gathering to pay their respects throughout the day and here in the united states flags lowered at half-staff at the white house president biden among world leaders paying tribute calling her a quote.

States woman of unmatched dignity and tonight king charles the queen's eldest son taking the throne immediately following her death his wife now queen consort camilla so let's get right to kier simmons who leads us off tonight from london this is the last moment the world saw queen elizabeth just two days ago the.

Queen pictured looking frail but sprightly meeting the new british prime minister always doing her duty even days before her death the palace first announced this morning doctors were concerned about her health then around 6 30 local time posting a statement on the gates reading the queen.

Died peacefully at balmoral this afternoon prime minister liz truss who had appeared in that last photo with the queen saying she was her inspiration she was the very spirit of great britain and that spirit will endure tonight the queen's son charles now becoming king charles iii though his coronation will not likely be for months in a statement.

Calling his mother's death a moment of the greatest sadness for me and all members of my family the royal family pictured racing to be by her side grandson prince william driving her sons prince andrew and prince edward in passenger seats already with her at balmoral prince charles with camilla and the queen's only daughter princess anne.

Prince harry travelling alone to see his ailing grandmother arriving after her death was announced leaving megan behind in london the duchess of cambridge staying with the children throughout the uk flags are at half-staff crowds gathering in front of the palace to remember great britain's longest serving monarch a historic 70 years on the.

Throne born in 1926 the third grandchild of king george v elizabeth would guide the nation and its monarchy through historic challenges during the blitz the royal family stayed in london despite the nightly bombing raids from nazi germany to the people of britain there was this.

Message from their future queen we know every one of us that in the end all will be well for god will care for us and give us victory and peace that speech sealed a special relationship with her future subjects westminster abbey 1953 the first time tv.

Cameras were allowed inside to record a coronation the celebration was seen worldwide and elizabeth's reign would be felt worldwide she was the most widely traveled monarch in history she helped transform britain's empire.

Easing former colonies into states and all that while balancing motherhood and monarchy three sons and a daughter she encouraged her children to live lives beyond the palace walls in some ways the royal family appeared just like the rest of us vulnerable there was divorce and reconciliation her son prince andrew mired in.

Accusations of sexual misconduct but the tragedy of princess diana was an especially dark moment for the royal family her fairy tale romance and marriage ended in scandal with a messy divorce and then death diana killed in a traffic accident in paris the royal family grieved privately but there was growing anger in britain that.

The monarchy was out of touch detached and aloof the queen quickly returned to london from her vacation home to pay tribute to diana and face a challenge to modernize the monarchy i for one believe there are lessons to be drawn from her life and from the extraordinary and moving reaction to her death.

She embraced many changes including the marriage of her grandson prince william to commoner kate middleton and prince harry to the american actress meghan markle in 2021 her beloved husband of seven decades prince philip died in her words he was her strength and stay.

Her platinum jubilee celebrated with a military parade beacons lit across the world i keep mine in here a surprise appearance from paddington bear and over 10 million people across britain gathering for street parties to honor their one and only queen.

The jubilee concluded with a final wave from queen elizabeth from the balcony of buckingham palace she was joined by three future kings prince charles prince william and prince george the crowds cheering for queen elizabeth ii a monarch for the ages and kiera simmons joins us now from buckingham palace here you've been reporting for us.

All day there outside of buckingham palace what are the emotions like right there at the center of all this yeah we feared it was coming uh through the day and yet when it happens it's still hard to take in a gaddy it's still incomprehensible to me standing here tonight in front of that world famous buckingham palace balcony that the queen.

Was there just a few months ago celebrating 70 years on the throne that people are now rather than crowding into the area in front of buckingham palace here to celebrate here at her they are here in mourning and then to the echoes of history gaddy the fact that tonight william and harry are at balmoral castle the same place where the queen consoled.

Them after the death of their mother they are there together tonight about the death of their grandmother just imagine how they must be feeling and kier she was your queen of course through your work you got to see her up close what's your lasting memory of her yeah you know people talk about her.

Sense of humor about her character and one aspect from the coronavirus that i really thought was quite touching was that we saw the queen on zoom and it's a different thing on zoom isn't it particularly of course seeing her on a public occasion there's something informal about zoom that we really saw.

Her cheekiness if you like uh her her wit and two we saw behind her the rooms that she lives in and just how careful she was uh to not rush to spend any money on anything new everything behind her was fairly old uh antique obviously family heirlooms but i.

Did i loved to see that insight into something about her her real life a picture that we hadn't got before and of course now something that we'll look back on as we mourn her loss in the days ahead such an endearing peek behind the curtain there kier thanks so much and the queen's death brings a.

Generational shift in the monarchy that's been decades in the making with a new king in power it also marks the beginning of a lengthy and meticulously planned period of mourning richard ingle has more from london she may have been the most famous woman in the world and tonight the world's attention turns to this nearly 170 year.

Old castle in scotland and to the end of an era queen elizabeth's death began a tightly scripted 10-day period of mourning in the uk the bbc today playing the national anthem god save the queen after the news broke and soon to include the many celebrations of her life and legacy that.

Will follow she's been wonderful and she's given her life to us i guess no one thought the day would come really we were at an airport in london when the public announcement was made after i guess just about four hours of speculation now official confirmation is coming the signs were there weren't they.

It all still comes as a shock especially when you saw them on the television just enhanced just when was that two days ago condolences are pouring in from around the world french president macron calling her a queen of hearts who marked as never before her country and her century ukraine's president zielinski calling.

Her death an irreparable loss and as one chapter ends another begins king charles iii now ascending to the throne he'll travel from scotland to london tomorrow with the queen facing recent health problems he's been transitioning into the spotlight delivering the traditional queen's speech to parliament back in may her.

Majesty's government's priority is to grow and strengthen the economy taking on a role he's spent a lifetime preparing for since the age of 20 when he became the prince of wales i charles prince of wales to become your liege man of life and limb incredible pressure for the new king as he mourns his mother he's the.

Longest serving heir apparent in history he witnessed the queen's coronation he knows how this plays out but that doesn't make it easy from him from an emotional perspective now leading the uk through a moment that was anticipated but has left this country nonetheless in shock you would struggle frankly to find another figure in public life on a par.

With her majesty in many respects she doesn't have an equal she's a one-of-a-kind and richard joins us now richard you mentioned at the top of your piece about 10 days of mourning what does that look like for the people in the united kingdom as they remember their queen so there are two sides to this one is.

The public event and probably the most public event will be the television interactions this is going to get non-stop coverage in this country and there is a lot of ritual involved when bell's toll at a certain time and uniforms are worn in one particular way and then she's uh her remains will be lying in state and in.

Parliament and then transferred to other different locations so this will be a a long uh calibrated televised event that people across the country will participate in where different members of the family according to the protocol will also participate in but then more broadly speaking this is a cultural event this is a touchstone moment for.

This country that they will all be participating in through their television screens this was a very popular monarch uh first for the last 70 years almost everyone in this country only only knew her that she's the only monarch that they've ever known she was able to rise above the political.

Fray she didn't interfere in the day-to-day politics in this country she's not allowed to according to this country's political norms but by being above and separate from day-to-day politics she represented a connection to the past a connection to history and became to embody all things british and what it means to be british.

So i think over the next 10 days as people watch all of these procedures and rituals and pomp uh play out they will also be reflecting on on her life on their own lives and what it means to be british in this in this era thank you richard and for more on the life and legacy of queen elizabeth and the future of the.

Monarchy let's bring in bbc's catty kay she's also an msnbc and nbc news contributor and co-author of the confidence code caddy first i want to get your thoughts as this day comes to an end in the uk is people there now have to come to terms with the death of queen elizabeth and their new king king charles iii.

Can you tell us a little bit more about the queen's impact over the last 70 years what do you think the moment that she's most proud of is and her lowest point i think coming to terms with her impact is probably the right words gary because although we knew this day would come a lot of brits are still slightly in.

Shock she had been with the country with the world really for so long and i think that's her legacy it's partly her longevity she was with us in britain but with other countries too in a sense through the cold war through the end of the cold war through countless american presidents through.

Countless heads of state through 9 11 she was there she actually after 9 11 had the star-spangled banner played outside buckingham palace breaking 600 years of tradition so a close friend of the united states as well but it wasn't it wasn't just the fact that she had been there for a long time and seen all of this it was really.

Her personality i think that makes her made her so beloved her sense of duty her sense of responsibility to the job of being queen the fact that she just got up and did the job she didn't over share she didn't shirk her duties she was stoical she also and perhaps this is something that people in the u.s don't.

Know as much about her she had a wicked sense of humor and she loved a joke she loved a prank and you asked what my kind of personal memories of her would be i was in london for the queen's jubilee in june and she stole the show when she performed this little skit with paddington bear at a kind of chaotic tea party and she just and she kept that.

Secret even from members of her own family no one knew it was going to air and she loved that kind of thing she had a twinkle in her eye and she enjoyed a good sense of humor so i think it was the combination of the fact that she had been there so long with her personality which i think is going to be hard to replicate that is going to leave.

I think britain slightly breathed and kind of looking for a new sense of direction they will find it but in the next few days they're going to be wondering what happens to the country next and what do you think her her greatest.

Part of her legacy is i think it was that enduring sense of stoicism um it was what she gave us was an image of somebody doing their job selflessly it wasn't so much that she was queen it was the way she approached her job as monarch she.

Got up day every after day and didn't complain and did the job and i the other i guess the other thing that was her character but it made her very steady and reassuring we live in a time don't we where things seem to be changing with bewildering speed there are so many crises around the world it's hard to keep track of them and yet there.

Was the monarch of the queen queen elizabeth steady um and in a way perhaps that's her legacy to all of us was that you know steadiness and sense of purpose she on her 21st birthday she said she was you know committing her life however long or short it was going to be and in the end it was pretty long to serving her subjects and she.

Earned their trust over the course of 70 years she won it and then she earned it and she kept it and i think that is probably her legacy is what she represented as a as a monarch as a person and for most people they've only known a queen of england now there's going to be a king.

What does this moment in history mean for charles and the people of britain she's actually queen of united kingdom i was the queen of the united kingdom we got ferociously into trouble if anyone ever called her the queen of england because there is of course england wales scotland and northern ireland but she had an even longer title than that um.

It's you prince prince charles and i keep saying prince charles but now of course king charles um the third will is not as popular as his mother has been there's just you know there's no doubt about that opinion survey after opinion survey said she was the most popular royal and and he was somewhere.

Down at six or sevens and he will as he steps into the role of being king he will earn some of that respect but he's not as beloved as his mother was um and he's taking over so much older he's 73 he's never going to be on the throne for 70 years in the way that she was he'll be in some senses i think a.

Transitionary king before his son william takes over so it's a very different role and the royal family i think in some ways now has some thinking to do about you know they've lived with the queen and her way of being queen for 70 years and now they have to find a new way for him to be king.

And to shore up the royal family which is you know riddled with divisions uh many of which have spilled out onto the front pages of the newspapers and all our television screens in a way that would never really have happened to the queen herself and so i think that's you know they're grappling with divisions in their own family questions about what.

The royal family is now going to be there is some republicanism in the uk it's not an enormous amount but it'll be interesting to see over the next few years as charles takes over as king you know what the sentiment is on the british amongst the british public about what they want the monarchy to be certainly the beginning of a new era.

Catty thank you and president biden tonight mourning the death of queen elizabeth first meeting the queen in 1982 as a democratic senator his last trip was in june 2021 during a trip to the united kingdom for the annual group of seven summit for more on the white house's reaction to this historic passing i want to bring in.

Chief white house correspondent peter alexander peter what has the white house said about the queen's passing gotti we're hearing from the president tonight just uh within the last hour visiting the british embassy to pay his respects to queen elizabeth signing the condolence book there alongside the first lady jill biden tonight he is.

Remembering the queen as more than a monarch but a figure who he says defined an era the president the last of 13 sitting u.s presidents to meet the queen praising her is a states woman of unmatched dignity and constancy saying she was a steadying president's presence and saying that she helped make the relationship between the u.s and the.

United kingdom special the president after his visit with the queen that you noted last year on the tarmac at heathrow told me that she reminded him of his mother noting her graciousness late today the flags here with the white house scottie head of the capitol they were lower to half staff also tonight.

We're hearing from past presidents the former president barack obama saying he was consistently struck by the queen's warmth and her humor and former president trump calling her a grand and beautiful lady scotty and peter we know president biden was on a video call with the new british prime minister some others on thursday morning.

Trusts suddenly leaving that call as the news came in about the queen so with a new prime minister now a new king how is the white house going to be handling the big changes well i think the white house in this administration will emphasize that special relationship that it will not change in spite of the changing.

Of the monarch there in the united kingdom the president in lowering the flags the proclamation saying that they will be they will remain lowered until her internment internment to take place at some point next week sadly the white house says because this new prime minister in the uk um mistrust had to depart from the call so briefly they.

Said it was not a surprise to learn of the queen's passing but it doesn't make it uh any less of a moment of grief for the united states the president when he was there gotti at the at the british embassy said to the staff that had gathered that she was a great lady and said that we are mourning with you all gotti.

Peter thank you and the queen enjoyed a special relationship with american presidents for decades she met all but one since 1951. kristen welker has a look at some of those memorable moments and the traditions she celebrated with our leaders she's danced with presidents ridden with.

Them celebrated with commander in chiefs mourned and of course shared plenty of meals queen elizabeth in fact meeting every single serving american president except lyndon johnson since 1951. harry truman was her first presidential meeting as a 25-year-old princess representing her father the king during.

A u.s visit she came back in 1957 now as queen i also want to say how much i appreciate the warmth and friendliness of your reception receiving an all-american welcome a state dinner hosted by president eisenhower and a ticker tape parade in new york queen elizabeth always appearing eager to take part in.

American traditions and charming the public along the way watching a baseball game with the first president bush oh it's great it's always her because i mean she came all the way from england and it's great wonderful meet the great lady of the world and attending the kentucky derby during the.

Second bush presidency she's a great race fan so it's exciting chances are here we're just gonna go we've glimpsed other memorable moments that famous dance with president ford at the white house a standing ovation when she became the first british monarch to address congress and president reagan laughing as the.

Queen cracked jokes at a state dinner in san francisco i knew before we came that we had exported many of our traditions to the united states but i had not realized before that weather was one of them she got along well with reagan the two went riding together these photos becoming iconic.

And while the queen last visited the u.s in 2007 like millions of american tourists presidents are always ready to stop by the palace when in the uk i'm confident that our common values and shared interests will continue to unite us it may seem like an unlikely connection given this country's decision to sever ties with.

The crown but as queen elizabeth said herself during america's 200th birthday your declaration of independence broke that link but it did not for long break our friendship a special relationship that only grew stronger during her 70-year reign kristen welker nbc news the white house.

And the relationship the queen cherished most of all the one with her husband prince philip the two marrying in 1947 only a few years before she would become queen and once she took the throne the prince swearing his allegiance to her and stood by her side for decades kelly cobia has more on their history-making marriage.

A queen and her prince side by side for seven decades through a lifetime of royal celebrations and scandals weddings and funerals he has quite simply been my strength and stay all these years their early story was a real-life fairy tale elizabeth still a princess first saw phillip a handsome naval officer.

When she was just 13. princess elizabeth saw this 18 year old six foot tall incredibly handsome he was nicknamed the viking and she fell desperately desperately head over heels in love with him at first sight the schoolgirl crush blossomed into an old fashioned romance world war ii kept them apart but they managed to stay in touch by mail he was.

Fighting on pretty much all the naval fronts it was a correspondence love affair really they wrote letters to one another in july 1947 philip asked for the future queen's hand in marriage just four months later a historic wedding at westminster abbey a celebration for a country still.

Recovering from the trauma of war princess elizabeth became a naval officer's wife living quietly in malta starting a family that all changed when her father king george died and the young princess elizabeth became queen at the coronation prince philip swore his allegiance saying he would be her.

Liege man of life and limb giving up his brilliant naval career to serve his queen it wasn't a division of labor that was traditional to somebody of philip's upbringing he was always quite the alpha male so having to take a step back and follow his wife as she became head of state was a big adjustment for him while the queen looked after her nation her.

People and the commonwealth phillip was the patriarch looking after the family a devoted father and husband admitting in a rare public moment it wasn't always easy tolerance is the one essential ingredient of any happy marriage it may not be quite so important when.

Things are going well but it is absolutely vital when things get difficult and you can take it from me that the queen has the quality of tolerance and abundance they were married for an incredible 73 years united until phillip's death in.

April of 2021. the queen private in her grief leaving a handwritten note on his casket and as she had throughout her life devoting herself to duty keeping calm and carrying on and just months after philip's death honoring his life's work as the impact of the environment on human progress was a subject close to the heart of my dear.

Late husband if we fail to cope with this challenge all the other problems will pale into insignificance queen elizabeth will be buried with prince philip in windsor castle's king george vi memorial chapel the two side by side again and kelly cobia joins us now from london.

Kelly after having philip by her side for 73 years what effect did his his death have on the queen in the last year and a half well the queen hasn't talked about it directly gaddy but you can quote it sort of read between the lines of course we've heard that quote over and over again that philip was her strength and.

Stay that uh that message that she delivered on their golden wedding anniversary back in 1997 but even just this year she spoke about him again in her jubilee message saying that he was selfless that he was so keen to be by her side during all of those years as as the queen of.

The united kingdom so the fact that she continues to mention him even after his death and even you know we know she's been having mobility issues uh in the months leading up to this and we saw her several times using a walking stick that walking stick was one that prince philip used to use so you know even the in.

In the days in the months after uh her husband died sort of carrying a piece of him with her on certain occasions almost still leaning on him uh in the months after his death gaddy and kelly in your piece you touched on this a little bit prince philip had that rare moment uh where he said that it.

Wasn't always easy stepping back and following his wife their marriage wasn't always the fairy tale it appeared to be right it wasn't and again not something that they publicly spoke about but as with uh most things that when it comes to the personal lives of the royal family you do have to read between the.

Lines and some of this but you heard prince philip mention it in that speech that tolerance was such a key part of their marriage i mean imagine having to give up a very promising naval career uh prince philip was was very intent on on continuing that naval career but on the same vein knew what he was getting into.

When he married uh the heir to the throne uh still it couldn't have been easy for him he mentioned that it wasn't always easy in in one or two interviews that he did uh but again stayed by her side for 73 years scotty and we're back now with new developments on those classified documents seized from former president.

Trump's mar-a-lago home late today the department of justice appealed a federal judge's decision to appoint a special master this comes just three days after trump's request for that outside watchdog was approved nbc's ken delanian joins us now ken what exactly is the doj's argument against having a special master.

Well gotti the doj filed two documents today one was a notice to appeal the decision to the 11th circuit and the second was a request that this judge alien cannon reconsider part of her order um in two ways one they they're not contesting the special master at least in the motion to reconsider um.

100 what they're asking is that the special master not review 100 classified documents that they seized at mar-a-lago and they're also asking her to reverse her order that they are not allowed to use those documents in their investigation they actually say that that order was confusing uh contrary to law and that it has held up the effort.

By the intelligence community to do a damage assessment on on whether any sources and methods were compromised uh by the mishandling of those classified documents and they're saying there's no possible privilege in those classified documents they couldn't be subject to attorney-client privilege and they say they're not subject to executive.

Privilege they're not about advice to the president they are you know intelligence documents and therefore they say they they should not be subject to this review uh so that's what they're asking and yet they still have to go forward and present names by tomorrow of potential special masters but it looks.

Like they may end up appealing the whole thing we just don't know yet gotti and ken i want to get your take how strong is this argument how tough could it be to overturn the judge's ruling well most legal experts we've been talking to say that the doj has a very strong argument here and particularly when it comes to classified documents.

When the executive branch comes into court and says look judges we are saying that national security is at risk here and we're the only ones that can evaluate this and that and there was actually an affidavit by the head of the fbi's counter intelligence section attached to this request of the judge saying look judge we need to.

Investigate this stuff there were for example there were many empty envelopes seized at mar-a-lago mark classified we need to figure out what happened to those documents and we can't do that the way your order is currently worded ken thanks so much for staying on top of that for us when we come back killed for reporting the politician now arrested.

For the murder of a las vegas journalist the evidence police say he left at the scene and why they think the victim's work was the motive welcome back we're going to continue our coverage on queen elizabeth's death in just a few moments but we turn now to top stories news feed and the arrest in.

The murder of a las vegas investigative reporter clark county public administrator robert is now facing murder charges for the stabbing death of las vegas review journalist jeff garman authorities today revealing tayus's dna was found at the crime scene and that he was upset over stories that german had written about him.

And former trump advisor steve bannon has been charged with defrauding donors who gave money to build a border wall at the southern border the 68 year old appearing in new york in a courtroom today where he was indicted on several charges including money laundering and conspiracy prosecutors say he and others behind the group rebuild the wall.

Pocketed hundreds of thousands of dollars in donations meant for a border wall bannon's lawyer said he will fight the charges we turn back to the death of queen elizabeth from taking the throne in 1952 to appointing britain's new prime minister just two days ago the queen was a symbol of tradition for seven decades.

Here again is kelly cobia queen elizabeth's reign ushered the nation through decades of evolution dark hours and moments of celebration queen elizabeth ii was born in 1926 the waning days of the british empire when it still controlled more than 20 percent of the globe just seven years after the end of world war ii tragedy struck.

The tragic news reached princess elizabeth and her husband while in kenya elizabeth was on tour with her husband prince philip when she learned her father king george vi had died the princess now queen was never meant to be on the throne her uncle king edward viii abdicated in order to marry wallace simpson a.

Recently divorced american socialite edward's brother george became king making elizabeth next in line for the throne so the course was set for a young princess to one day become queen i declare before you all that my whole life whether it be long or short shall be devoted to your service once.

Called elizabeth the changeless for her steady leadership her britain was anything but her reign a defining reign for the nation the era of decolonization that began with india's independence in 1947 gained rapid speed between 1960 and 1970 more than two dozen former british colonies achieved.

Freedom the sun was finally setting on the british empire and rising on a new world but one not without its hurdles for the country and its leader the troubles brought bloodshed to northern ireland and england for decades in 2011 queen elizabeth became the first british monarch to visit the republic of ireland in 100 years madam president speaking.

Here in dublin castle it is impossible to ignore the weight of history for the queen the hope of a new century offered a chance to reflect on the last and evolve with her nation i believe that there is an air of confidence in this country of ours just now and that britain will enter the next millennium.

Glad confident and a truly united kingdom the new millennium opened with great celebrations hundreds of thousands turning out for queen elizabeth's golden jubilee honoring 50 years on the throne but there were devastating blows too we were in one of the one of the trains the london 7-7 terror attacks in 2005.

Killed 56 people and queen elizabeth's obligation to remain neutral in all political matters was tested to its limits during the united kingdom's split with the european union her most outright statement a call for civility even with the most deeply held differences treating the other person with respect.

And as a fellow human being is always a good first step towards greater understanding those recommendations were surely needed again admits the accusations and animosity between the royal family and prince harry and meghan markle but it was during the pandemic which struck the.

United kingdom like few other nations that many britons returned to the solidarity last seen during the blitz there as always was queen elizabeth we should take comfort that while we may have more still to endure better days will return we will be with our friends again we will be with our families again.

We will meet again the queen adapting once again guiding britons in new ways inevitably a long life can pass by many milestones my own is no exception for a nation where history is alive everywhere was a queen with one eye on tradition and the other on the future the bonds of her united kingdom at times.

Stretched to their breaking point but queen elizabeth remained ever steady at its helm kellie cobia nbc news london and for more on the legacy the queen leaves behind in the future of the royal family let's bring in susanna lipscomb msnbc and nbc news royal contributor susannah i want to get your thoughts on the passing of the queen through the.

Lens of the relationship with her family queen elizabeth dealt with a great deal of family drama over the decades how does that impact her legacy well i suppose immediately it brings attention to the new king because when a sovereign dies we also have a new one created.

And so some of the tumult that has happened over the years of course the divorce of prince charles and diana princess of wales was something that brought the royal family into disrepute in the early 90s along with divorces of others of her children.

And it's certainly true that in the 80s and 90s there was a sense of feeling a bit fed up with the royal family and that was only exaggerated after the tragedy of the death of diana and then in terms of her relationship in subsequent years well it's certainly true that she has a warm had a warm.

Relationship with prince william and with prince harry but that presiding over the difficulties in the relationship between those two in recent years and of course everything involving prince andrew has been a strain i think it would be fair to say that the last few years have been difficult.

Um and of course it's not been made easier by the loss of her companion of so many years that the duke of edinburgh so actually her family has often been a source of difficulty in the midst of her trying to remain out of the public eye for anything other than compassionate and.

Service reasons what lessons do you think she learned over the decade from a lot of those family problems that played out in the public eye it's a very interesting question i i think that she continued to stay strong to that idea of discretion and reserve.

It is a quality that she had and it means that so many people met her so many people talked with her and so few people knew what she was ever thinking and you you'd think that actually the family difficulties would probably exaggerate.

The need to stay quiet i've really been struck today by how little information we've had around her death the information put by the palace was two sentences and earlier today we were just told a couple of sentences about her health and yet from that we are all.

Depending about her and clearly the need to not give too much away has become part of what it means to be the royal family they say little because we all extrapolate so we watch every move we've watched you know prince harry turning up later than.

The other members of the close royal family and speculated about it and i think that the one thing that she learnt was to keep her own counsel finally tonight the end of an era queen elizabeth's loyal followers are reacting to the news of her passing as world leaders look back on her legacy take a.

Listen to what so many have had to say about their beloved queen we've all known just one queen she's she's a pastor we've always looked up to she was extraordinary.

I realized just how important she was a huge part of my life my family's life her words and presents were a source of comfort hope and solace she led in this country with great reverence and duty and respect and honor and i just don't know if that would be another like.

We've all grown up with her i can't really believe it to be honest she was one of my favorite people in the world she had a great life and has a great legacy a great legacy indeed and tom yamas is traveling to scotland tonight and we'll.

Have the latest on the passing of the queen from there tomorrow thank you so much for watching top story i'm gotti schwartz in los angeles and stay right there more news is on the way thanks for watching our youtube channel follow today's top stories and breaking news by downloading the nbc news app.

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