Her Majesty The Queen and her relationship with the Midlands
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II has died, Buckingham Palace has announced. She was 96.
Buckingham Palace said the Queen "died peacefully" at Balmoral this afternoon.
In a statement, the palace said: "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."
During a lifetime of public service, the Queen visited the Midlands many times over the decades, and huge crowds were guaranteed every time.
Her visit to the region in 1949 was one of the first filmed official visits after the Royal Wedding of 1947.
The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh enjoyed Shrewsbury’s agricultural show.
The Royal party was greeted by people lining the streets in Nottingham, and the then Princess Elizabeth opened Derby’s new town hall.
When the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh visited Nottingham again in 1955, they took great pleasure in watching the city’s traditional lacemakers at work.
Religion often dominated her visits, and in 1956 she laid the foundation stone for Coventry’s new cathedral, beside the old cathedral’s ruins.
She returned to the city in the year 2000.
Queen Elizabeth II visited Leicester several times over the years.
People packed out the city’s Victoria Park in 1958 to get a glimpse of her.
In 2012, the city was the first stop on the Diamond Jubilee Tour.
Always immaculately dressed herself, she was overheard commenting to a well wisher that they were wearing “a very smart hat”.
The same day, she went on to admire some shoes made in the city for her grandmother - Queen Mary.
On her last visit in 2017, she gave symbolic Maundy Money to people nominated for their public service, during a ceremony at Leicester Cathedral.
The Queen and Prince Philip had visited Birmingham to enact the same tradition decades before.
Her most recent visit to Birmingham was for the opening of the refurbished New Street station, with the Duke of Edinburgh at her side.
The tributes and condolences from the Midlands have been quick to pour in.
The UK and world reacts to the death of Her Majesty The Queen at 96...