Queen Elizabeth II's death announcement via Twitter shows how much the monarchy has changed since her father's death in 1952

• Queen Elizabeth died on Thursday at the age of 96, Buckingham Palace announced.
• Notice of her death first came through a Twitter post from the Royal Family.

Queen Elizabeth II — whose reign spanned decades and across pivotal events that shaped the world — died on Thursday at 96.

The announcement of her death, which first came from a Twitter post shared by the Royal Family, highlights how communication from the monarchy has changed since she ascended to the throne 70 years ago.

With the death of her father, King George VI, on February 6, 1952, Elizabeth became Queen at age 25. News of George's death, however, did not travel as quickly as it did when his daughter passed away.

The BBC broke the news to its global audience later that day, and said it was given official notice of George's death at 10:45 a.m. local time, more than three hours after he was found dead.

"We cannot at this moment do more than record the spontaneous expression of grief," then-Prime Minister Winston Churchill said at the time.

Major UK newspapers like the Evening Standard, Guardian, and Telegraph also reported on George's death. News of George's death then quickly made its way throughout the country, United Press International reported at the time.

"THE KING IS DEAD," read the top of the Evening Standard that night.

"Nation mourns Death of King George VI," read the Guardian headline from February 7, 1952.

"DEATH OF KING GEORGE VI," the Telegraph reported on February 7, 1952.

With Queen Elizabeth II's death, news spread more quickly. Within minutes of the Royal Family's announcement, the social media post spread like wildfire, and publications including Insider, the New York Times, the BBC, and more had already notified readers of her death through online stories and push notifications.