‘A stalwart’: World mourns Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II
Sep 8, 2022, 12:14 AM | Updated: 12:23 pm
The Union flag on Buckingham Palace in London is lowered after the death of Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, Thursday, Sept. 8, 2022. Queen Elizabeth II, Britain's longest-reigning monarch and a rock of stability across much of a turbulent century, died Thursday after 70 years on the throne. She was 96. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein)
(AP Photo/Frank Augstein)
LONDON (AP) — Condolences poured in from around the world Thursday after the death of Queen Elizabeth II, whose rule saw Britain through decades of change.
Elizabeth had been on the throne since 1952, when the nation was still rebuilding from the destruction of World War II, and became a global icon of calmness and fortitude through years of upheaval.
“She lived history, she made history, and with her passing she leaves a magnificent, inspirational legacy,” Israeli President Isaac Herzog said.
In India, once a British colony, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called her “a stalwart of our times.”
“She personified dignity and decency in public life,” Modi tweeted.
In Washington, U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ordered the flags lowered to half-staff at the U.S. Capitol, her office said.
Caribbean leaders from Bermuda to Dominica and beyond mourned the queen’s death.
“Her passing ends an iconic 70-year reign and is a profound loss for the commonwealth of nations and the world,” tweeted Roosevelt Skerrit, Dominica’s prime minister.
Minutes later, Bermuda Premier David Burt issued a statement noting that her reign “has spanned decades of such immense change for the United Kingdom and the world.”
Elizabeth died at age 96 at Balmoral Castle, her summer residence in Scotland, where members of the royal family had rushed after her health worsened.
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