LONDON — The Queen has officially signed the Brexit bill into law, paving the way for Prime Minister Theresa May to trigger Article 50 and initiate Britain's formal exit from the European Union.

Queen Elizabeth II gave the European Union (Notification of Withdrawal) Bill its royal assent shortly before 11:00 a.m. (GMT) on Thursday, meaning that May now has the legal authority to trigger Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty at a time of her choosing.

May has promised to deliver a speech in the Commons to announce when she has invoked Article 50 but is yet to confirm whether there will be advanced notice of this taking place.

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