Leaders and monarchs from across the globe have paid tribute to Queen Elizabeth II following her death yesterday afternoon. Political leaders, kings and queens, as well as religious leaders have all shared heartfelt condolences on this day of mourning.
Some shared memories of her majesty and others paid tribute to what she meant to them and their country. All these figureheads have come out in droves to offer the UK their respect.
China
Chinese President Xi Jinping noted that she was the first UK monarch to visit China, in 1986, saying: “Her death is a great loss to the British people.”
The statement added that China was willing to work with the King as an opportunity to promote bilateral relations and benefit the two countries and their people. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang also sent a message of condolence to Prime Minister Liz Truss.
The Queen’s death comes amid tensions between Britain and China over human rights, trade and China’s relentless crackdown on free speech and political opposition in the former British colony of Hong Kong. Despite this, the Queen’s death was a top trending topic on Chinese social media, with many people saying her death marks the end of an era.
France
French President Emmanuel Macron expressed “deep sadness” and a sense of “emptiness” after the death of the Queen and praised her “great affection for France”.
Mr Macron said in a video message that she mastered “our language, loved our culture and touched our hearts”.
He described the Queen as a “great head of state”, and said that with her, Britain and France share “a warm, sincere and loyal partnership”.
Speaking in English, the French president said: “To you, she was your Queen. To us, she was the Queen.”
Germany
In Germany, the country’s president highlighted the Queen’s contribution to healing the wounds left by the Second World War during her long reign.
President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said “Britain held out the hand of reconciliation to Germany, and the hand of reconciliation was also the Queen’s hand”.
He said a state visit by the Queen to West Germany in 1965 was “one of the most important and powerful symbols” of post-war friendship.
“For the young Federal Republic of Germany, this trip was a pricelessly important signal of reconciliation after two disastrous world wars, after the great guilt that my country had heaped upon itself.”
Tibet
Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama expressed his deep sadness over the death of the Queen and offered his condolences to her family and the British people. In a letter to King Charles III, the Dalai Lama said “I remember seeing photographs of her coronation in magazines when I was young in Tibet”.
He added that “your mother lived a meaningful life with dignity, grace, a strong sense of service and a warm heart, qualities we all should treasure”.
Scandanavia
Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, whose 50-year reign is now Europe’s longest, called Queen Elizabeth II “a towering figure among European monarchs and a great inspiration to us all”. “We shall miss her terribly,” Margrethe said in a statement released by the Danish royal household.
In neighbouring Sweden, King Carl XVI Gustaf said the British monarch had “an outstanding devotion and sense of duty” and Norway’s King Harald said Elizabeth devotedly “accompanied the British people through joys and sorrows, in good times and bad times”.
Finland’s President Sauli Niinisto said Elizabeth “witnessed and shaped history like few others. Her sense of duty and devotion to service are an example to us all”.
Australia
In Australia, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese mourned the Queen as the only only reigning monarch most Australians have known, and the only one to ever to visit their country.
“And over the course of a remarkable seven decades, Her Majesty was a rare and reassuring constant amidst rapid change,” he said. “Through the noise and turbulence of the years, she embodied and exhibited a timeless decency and an enduring calm.”
The British monarch is Australia’s official head of state, although these days the role is considered primarily ceremonial.
Malcolm Turnbull, the leader of a failed campaign to have an Australian president replace the British monarch as Australia’s head of state and who later became prime minister, said: “It’s the end of an era and let’s hope that the future, after the Queen’s passing, is one where we will have leadership as dedicated and selfless as she has shown.”
New Zealand
New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern told reporters she was awoken in the early hours of the morning by a police officer shining a torch into her bedroom to tell her the news of the Queen’s death.
Ms Ardern said: “The last days of the Queen’s life captures who she was in so many ways – working until the very end on behalf of the people she loved.”
She said the Queen was an extraordinary woman who she would remember for her laughter. Ms Ardern said that like many other people, she was feeling not only deep sadness but also deep gratitude.
“Here is a woman who gave her life, utterly, to the service of others,” she said. “And regardless of what anyone thinks of the role of monarchies around the world, there is undeniably, I think here, a display of someone who gave everything on behalf of her people, and her people included the people of Aotearoa New Zealand.”
Ms Ardern said New Zealand had moved into a period of official mourning, and would hold a state memorial service after the official funeral in Britain.
Vatican City
The Pope said he is praying for “eternal rest” for the Queen.
Francis, who met the Queen in 2014, said: “I willingly join all who mourn her loss in praying for the late Queen’s eternal rest, and in paying tribute to her unstinting service to the good of the Nation and the Commonwealth, her example of devotion to duty, her steadfast witness of faith in Jesus Christ and her firm hope in his promises.”
United States of America
US President Joe Biden signed the condolence book at the British Embassy in Washington, and his wife, Jill Biden, brought a bouquet of flowers. The president was overheard telling embassy staff: “We mourn for all of you. She was a great lady.”
Jamaica
Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness, who announced this year the British commonwealth intended to become fully independent, said: “We are saddened that we will not see her light again, but we will remember her historic reign.”
Canada
In Canada, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he was having trouble believing he had had his last sit-down chat with the Queen: “I will so miss those chats,” he said.
Singapore
Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said the Queen was “the very heart and soul of the United Kingdom” and that her passing was greatly mourned by everyone in the city-state.
Brazil
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro decreed three days of mourning and tweeted that she “wasn’t the queen for the British only; she was a queen for all of us”.
Japan
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol tweeted their condolences, and Malaysia’s foreign affairs minister Saifuddin Abdullah mourned the Queen on Facebook as “a towering figure” dedicated to serving the people of the UK and the Commonwealth.
Myanmar
The foreign affairs minister for Myanmar’s National Unity Government, an underground parallel government spearheading the fight for democracy in Myanmar against its military-led government, posted her condolences on Twitter.
Zin Mar Aung wrote: “I’m deeply saddened by the news of the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. On behalf of @NUGMyanmar and the people of Myanmar, I extend our deepest sympathies to the Royal Family and the people of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth.”
Myanmar, then called Burma, gained independence from British colonial rule in 1948.
Saudi Arabia
The king and crown prince of Saudi Arabia have offered their condolences over the Queen’s death. Saudi state media quoted King Salman as saying that the Queen was “a model of leadership that will be immortalised in history”.
He added: “We recall with appreciation the efforts of the deceased in consolidating the friendship and cooperation relations between our two friendly countries, as well as the high international status that Her Majesty enjoyed throughout the decades during which she acceded to the throne of your friendly country.”
His son, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, said the Queen was “an example of wisdom, love and peace.”
He added: “The world remembers today the great impact and deeds that she had throughout her reign.”
Russia
Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a telegram to the King: “For many decades, Elizabeth II rightfully enjoyed the love and respect of her subjects, as well as authority on the world stage. I wish you courage and perseverance in the face of this heavy, irreparable loss.”
We have turned comments off on this story but you can share your tribute in our online condolence book.
READ NEXT:
- His Majesty King Charles III releases first statement since becoming Britain's monarch
- The day-by-day plan for all the key events following the Queen's death
- When does Prince Charles become King following the death of Queen Elizabeth?
- Huge crowds gather outside Buckingham Palace to pay tribute to Queen Elizabeth II
