How to send condolences to the Royal Family following Queen Elizabeth II's death

The Royal Family has issued guidelines on how the public can pay condolences following Queen Elizabeth II's death aged 96 at Balmoral Castle.

• Guidelines on how to send condolences to the Royal Family following the death of Queen Elizabeth II have been released. 
• Mourners from across the world have been invited to pay their respects to the late monarch, who died aged 96 at Balmoral Castle.  
• In other royal news, following Queen Elizabeth II's death, here's what we know about what happens next.
  

A guide on how to offer condolences to the Royal Family has been published, following the devastating death of Queen Elizabeth II on Thursday, September 8. 

The Royal Family's official website was updated this morning with information on paying respects to the beloved leader, who died at Balmoral Castle in Scotland yesterday afternoon. Aged 96, she had recently celebrated her Platinum Jubilee and will go down in history as Britain's longest-serving monarch. 

Mourners have now been invited to sign an online book of condolences, which will be passed on to the Royal Family and could also be stored in the Royal Archives for 'posterity'. The virtual form requires senders to provide their name, email address, location, and personal message. There will be no physical book of condolences available. 

The public has also been invited to offer flower tributes to Queen Elizabeth II at any of her six royal residences across the UK. 

Mourners in England can leave bouquets at dedicated sites in Green Park or Hyde Park near Buckingham Palace, at the Cambridge Gate on the Long Walk of Windsor Castle, or at the Norwich Gates of Sandringham Estate. 

Mourners in Scotland can place their floral offerings at the Queen’s Gallery at the Palace of Holyroodhouse, or at the Main Gate at Balmoral Castle. In Northern Ireland, the public is free to leave flowers at Castle Forecourt, in front of the main gates of Hillsborough Castle. All of Queen Elizabeth II's royal residences will be closed until after the funeral of the late monarch has taken place. 

It will also be possible to leave floral tributes at designated public buildings and locations approved by the Cabinet Office. 

Thousands of flower bouquets and handwritten cards have already been left outside Buckingham Palace in London and Windsor Castle in Berkshire, where Queen Elizabeth II permanently resided until her passing at Balmoral yesterday. 

Many royal fans have expressed deep sorrow over the loss of the royal matriarch, who inherited the throne at the tender age of 25 and went on to reign for over 70 years. 

She will be succeeded by her eldest son, King Charles, who expressed the 'greatest sadness' in a public statement shortly after the death of her Majesty had been announced. The 74-year-old fled to Balmoral yesterday with the Queen Consort, formerly Duchess Camilla, to be by his mother's side in her final hours. He has since returned to London, where he is expected to make a public address on Friday 9, ahead of the period of national mourning.