World leaders including US President Joe Biden, Ukraine Vlodymyr Zelensky and France’s president Emnauel Macron have paid heartfelt tributes to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, after the monarch passed away, aged 96.
Leaders described the monarch as a source of stability amid seven decades of social and economic changes.
French President Emmanuel Macron called the monarch “a friend of France, a queen of hearts,” while Italian PM Mario Draghi celebrated her “spirit of service and her dedication to the UK and the Commonwealth.”
Macron said the Queen “embodied the British nation’s continuity and unity for over 70 years.”
President of the United States Joe Biden said the Queen was “more than a monarch” and had “defined an era.”
“In a world of constant change, she was a steadying presence and a source of comfort and pride for generations of Britons, including many who have never known their country without her,” he added.
The seven decades of her reign “bore witness to an age of unprecedented human advancement and the forward march of human dignity,” Biden said.
Former President Barack Obama also paid his respects and said he was “awed by her legacy of tireless, dignified public service.”
He noted how she was the first-ever female royal to serve on active military duty in the Second World War.
Germany’s chancellor Olaf Sholz: “We mourn the death of Queen Elizabeth II. She was a role model and inspiration for millions, also here in Germany. Her commitment to German-British reconciliation after the horrors of World War II will remain unforgotten. She will be missed, not least her wonderful humour.”
Ursula von der Leyen, President of the EU Commission, said Her Majesty “witnessed war and reconciliation in Europe and beyond, and deep transformations of our planet and societies.”
She was a beacon of continuity throughout these changes, never ceasing to display a calmness and dedication that gave strength to many.”
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said it was “with the heaviest of hearts” that the Commonwealth nation learned of the news.
The monarch was “a constant presence in our lives” whose service to Canada would “forever remain an important part of our country’s history.”
Canadians would “always remember and cherish Her Majesty’s wisdom, compassion, and warmth.”
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said his country’s prayers were with the UK.
Pope Francis sent a telegram to King Charles III, offering his “heartfelt condolences.”
“Commending her noble soul to the merciful goodness of our Heavenly Father, I assure Your Majesty of my prayers that Almighty God will sustain you with his unfailing grace as you now take up your high responsibilities as King,” the Holy Father wrote.
“Upon you and all who cherish the memory of your late mother, I invoke an abundance of divine blessings as a pledge of comfort and strength in the Lord.”
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