Local MPs have expressed ‘grief’ and will ‘mourn the loss’ of Queen Elizabeth II’s following the announcement of her death yesterday evening. 

The Queen, who was described by one MP as “the mother of our nation”, died at her Balmoral residence in Scotland yesterday afternoon at the age of 96. 

Reading West MP, Alok Sharma, said everyone will “miss her greatly” and offered “thoughts and prayers” to the Royal Family. 

“The Queen was the mother of our nation and the Commonwealth – a rock of serenity and wisdom through the decades and so loved and admired,” he added. 

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She had been head of the UK monarchy for over 70 years, having first taken the throne on February 6, 1952, meaning her reign is longest of any British monarch. 

Reading East MP, Matt Rodda, said his thought and those of his family “are with HM the Queen and the Royal Family” during this time. 

Buckingham Palace has announced that the Royal Family will observe a period of mourning from now until seven days after the Queen’s funeral, the date of which has not yet been confirmed. 

Wokingham MP, John Redwood, said Her Majesty’s achievements “have offered example and expectation” to generations of women and girls” and her death will “be felt by us all”. 

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“We have grief in our hearts at the death of the Queen. She was paet of our lives, a constant in the great events of our nation,” he added. 

There are a number of ceremonies and events scheduled to take place over the next few days to mark her passing. King Charles III will be giving his first speech as the new head of the monarchy later today, along with a 96 gun salute to take place in Hyde Park. 

It is understood that Charles will be formally proclaimed King during a ceremony that will take place on Saturday at St James's Palace in London. 

Bracknell MP, James Sunderland, echoed the words of the new Prime Minister, Liz Truss, that his “thoughts are with Her Majesty” and the rest of the Royal Family at this time. 

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A service of prayer and reflection following the death of the Queen will be held at St Paul's Cathedral at 6pm today, with around 2,000 seats to be allocated to the public on a first come first served basis. 

The state funeral is expected to take place at Westminster Abbey within the next two weeks.