WATCH: White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre reacts to news of Queen Elizabeth’s death

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre reacted to the death of Queen Elizabeth II Thursday, saying, “Our hearts and our thoughts go to the family of the queen, the people of the United Kingdom.”

Watch the briefing in the player above.

Queen Elizabeth II, Britain’s longest-reigning monarch, died Thursday at the age of 96.

News of the queen’s death broke while Jean-Pierre was conducting the White House briefing. Reporters had to tell the press secretary of the breaking news.

“I don’t want to get ahead of what the president is going to say. I want him to from you all to hear from him first,” Jean-Pierre said, but added, “Our relationship with the people of the United Kingdom, and this is something that the president has said himself, has grown stronger and stronger. And … the United Kingdom is one of our closest allies.”

Elizabeth spent more than seven decades on the throne as the U.K. rebuilt from war, lost an empire, transformed its economy and both entered and left the European Union. She was a constant presence, the only monarch most Britons have ever known.