Pilots were sent a mid-flight bulletin offering them a choice on whether to announce the Queen's death to passengers

• Some pilots were sent a mid-flight bulletin announcing the death of Queen Elizabeth II on Thursday afternoon.
• The note offered pilots a choice on whether to announce the news to passengers on board.

Some pilots were sent a mid-flight bulletin announcing the death of Queen Elizabeth II on Thursday afternoon.

The note, issued through the Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System, offered a choice on whether to announce the death of the monarch to crew and passengers on board.

According to an image shared by a British pilot on Twitter, the bulletin read: "ATTN all aircraft. To be read at your discretion it is with great sadness that we have learned of the passing of Her Majesty the Queen. Our thoughts are with the Royal Family at this very difficult time. Sent 17592/08."

The pilot, who goes by the username Katie Pilot, did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

Britain's longest-reigning monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, passed away in Balmoral Castle on September 8. The news was first announced by the royal family on Twitter, quickly followed by media outlets.

The pilot said who shared the image said she received the news while flying "somewhere over France," adding it was a "somewhat surreal and extremely sad moment."

She said in a Twitter comment that she opted not to announce the Queen's death to the rest of the plane as the flight had on-board WiFi and the news was already making its way around the cabin.

A pilot on a British Airways flight traveling from Miami to London chose to utilize the plane's announcement system to relay the news.

In a video taken by a passenger and reported by E! News, the pilot can be heard telling people mid-flight: "This is an incredibly sad day for all of us on British Airways. Our thoughts are with the entire royal family as we grieve her immeasurable loss."

He can also be heard inviting passengers to hold a moment of silence for the late Queen.