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White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was hit with the news of Queen Elizabeth II’s death live during a press briefing on Thursday.
Jean-Pierre said the hearts of President Joe Biden and all Americans are with the Queen’s family and the people of the United Kingdom. The news broke in the White House briefing room as Jean-Pierre was answering a question from Fox News reporter Peter Doocy.
Several reporters interrupted Jean-Pierre’s answer, saying, “The queen just died.”
“OK, all right. Well, OK, so that’s been confirmed?” Jean-Pierre responded, visibly shaken.
This photo combo shows Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II during the State Opening of Parliament, London, in April 1966 on the left and Nov. 15, 2006, on the right.
(AP Photo, Arthur Edwards, Pool, File)
“As I said earlier, you know, our hearts and our thoughts go to the family members of the queen,” Jean-Pierre said after regaining her composure. “[Our hearts] Go to the people of the United Kingdom. I don’t want to get ahead of what the president is going to say. I want him to, for you all to hear from him first. And so I don’t want to get ahead of that.”
“But, and I said this earlier, our relationship with the people of the United Kingdom, and this is something that the president has said himself has grown stronger and stronger. The United Kingdom is one of our closest allies. And again, our hearts go to the people of the United Kingdom, to the queen and to her family. I’m just not going to get ahead of the president. And with that, I’ll see you guys on Monday. Thank you. Thank you,” she finished.
QUEEN ELIZABETH II HEALTH: LIVE UPDATES
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre learned of the Queen’s death live during a briefing.
(Fox News video)
PHOTOS: QUEEN ELIZABETH THROUGH THE YEARS
Queen Elizabeth died Thursday afternoon at Balmoral Castle in Scotland. She was 96 years old.
News of the queen’s declining health first broke Thursday morning, when a statement from the Royal Palace announced that her doctors were concerned for her health and had advised her to stay home and rest. Members of the royal family rushed to Balmoral throughout the day to say their goodbyes.
Britain’s Queen Elizabeth stands with U.S. President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden in the Grand Corridor during their visit at Windsor Castle, in Windsor, Britain, June 13, 2021.
(Steve Parsons/Pool via REUTERS)
“The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon,” the royal family shared in a statement. “The King and The Queen Consort will remain at Balmoral this evening and will return to London tomorrow.”
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The Queen was Britain’s longest-reigning monarch, serving as the beloved face of her country and source of strength for seven decades.
Lauryn Overhultz contributed to this report.
