The United Kingdon’s longest-serving monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, has died at Balmoral aged 96, after reigning for 70 years.
Anthony Albanese, the Prime Minister of Australia, has also released a statement on the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second.
Albanese said “Australian hearts go out to the people of the United Kingdom”, remarking that she always performed her duty with “fidelity, integrity and humour”.
Albanese added:
“With the passing of Queen Elizabeth the Second, an historic reign and a long life devoted to duty, family, faith and service has come to an end. The Government and the people of Australia offer our deepest condolences to the Royal Family, who are grieving for a beloved mother, grandmother and great-grandmother—the person whom for so long was their greatest inner strength.”
India’s Prime minister Narendra Modi has also paid tribute to the Queen. He recalled two memorable meetings with Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II during his UK visits in 2015 and 2018.
“I will never forget her warmth and kindness. During one of the meetings she showed me the handkerchief Mahatma Gandhi gifted her on her wedding. I will always cherish that gesture.”
According to a statement from His Majesty The King, the Queen died peacefully on Thursday afternoon at her Scottish estate.
The Queen was born Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor, in Mayfair, London, on 21 April 1926. Her father became King George VI and, at age 10, Lilibet, as she was known in the family, became heir to the throne. She came to the throne in 1952 and witnessed enormous socio-political changes.
Experts note that her commitment to the Commonwealth was a constant – she visited every Commonwealth country at least once.
Her son King Charles III said in a statement that the death of his beloved mother was a “moment of great sadness” for the family. He added:
“We mourn profoundly the passing of a cherished sovereign and a much-loved mother. I know her loss will be deeply felt throughout the country, the realms and the Commonwealth, and by countless people around the world.”
During the coming period of mourning, he said he and his family would be “comforted and sustained by our knowledge of the respect and deep affection in which the Queen was so widely held”.
Senior royals had gathered at Balmoral after the Queen’s doctors became concerned about her health earlier in the day.
Prime Minister Liz Truss, who was appointed by the Queen on Tuesday, said the monarch was the rock on which modern Britain was built, who had “provided us with the stability and strength that we needed”.
Liz Truss added:
“We offer him our loyalty and devotion, just as his mother devoted so much, to so many, for so long. And with the passing of the second Elizabethan age, we usher in a new era in the magnificent history of our great country, exactly as Her Majesty would have wished, by saying the words ‘God save the King’.”
On the Queen’s death, Prince William and his wife, Catherine, became the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Cornwall.
All the Queen’s children travelled to Balmoral, near Aberdeen, after doctors placed the Queen under medical supervision. The King and his wife, Camilla, now Queen Consort, will return to London on Friday, Buckingham Palace said. Her grandson and now heir to the throne, Prince William, and his brother, Prince Harry, also gathered there.