British prime ministers who served during Queen Elizabeth II’s reign share personal tributes to the late monarch. There have been 15 prime ministers during the Queen’s reign, from Winston Churchill to Liz Truss, who was appointed just this week. The leaders had weekly private meetings with the monarch. Trudeau’s predecessor, Boris Johnson, told the House of Commons that when he saw the Queen on Tuesday step down, “she was as bright and knowledgeable and as fascinated by politics as I ever remember, and as wise in her advice. as well as anyone I know, if not wiser.’ Johnson called the Queen “the keystone in the great arch of the British state” and said “we will understand in her death the full extent of what she has done for us all”. Former Prime Minister Theresa May said the Queen was “the most remarkable person I have ever met” as well as the most impressive. “I doubt we’ll ever see her like this again,” May said. “May he rest in peace and rise in glory.” ——
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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he would like to attend Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral if his schedule allows. Erdogan told reporters on Friday that he knew the Queen and had met her twice at Buckingham Palace. “If we get the chance we would like to be present at this ceremony,” he said. —— BRUSSELS — NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, speaking at a joint press conference in Brussels with US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, noted that all 30 flags of NATO members are flying at half-mast to honor Queen Elizabeth. “He was a strong supporter of the transatlantic alliance, our armed forces and our values,” Stoltenberg said, adding that he had known and worked with all his predecessors since the founding of NATO. “I will always remember her wisdom, her warmth and her keen personal interest in transatlantic unity.” Blinken, meanwhile, paid tribute to the “truly extraordinary life of Her Majesty Elizabeth II”. He said he had personified “a sense of stability and continuity in times of turmoil” and amid “unprecedented challenges” facing both Britain and the world. “It was a source of comfort and resilience for people from all walks of life.” —— French President Emmanuel Macron expressed “deep sadness” and a feeling of “void” after the monarch’s death and praised her “great affection for France”. Macron said in a video message that the queen had “mastered our language, loved our culture and touched our hearts”. Macron described her as a “great head of state” and said that with her, Britain and France shared “a warm, sincere and loyal partnership”. Speaking in English, the French president said: “For you she was your queen. For us she was the queen.” —— KIEV, Ukraine — In Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, people laid flowers outside the British embassy in honor of Queen Elizabeth II. Anatolii Zakletskyi, a 75-year-old resident of Kiev, said he wanted to express his admiration for the monarch. “First, as a symbol of devotion to the motherland. Second, an absolute sense of duty before, as she said, to God and people. And third, to all of Britain because they are true friends of Ukraine,” Zakletsky said. “My deepest condolences to the entire British nation.” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy began his nightly address to the nation late Thursday with condolences “to the royal family, the whole of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth.” —— LONDON — Prime Minister Liz Truss says the death of Queen Elizabeth II has caused a “heartfelt outpouring of grief” in Britain and around the world. Truss spoke at the start of a special session of parliament paying tribute to the Queen. Truss called the monarch “the nation’s greatest diplomat” and said her devotion to duty was an example to all. The prime minister was officially appointed by the Queen on Tuesday, just two days before her death. Truss said at the meeting, “she generously shared with me her deep experience of governing, even in those final days.” Regular business in parliament has been suspended and lawmakers will spend two days offering their memories and thoughts of the queen, who died on Thursday after seven decades on the throne. Senior MPs will also swear in King Charles III, the new monarch. —— LONDON — Bells tolled across Britain on Friday in honor of Queen Elizabeth II as the nation began 10 days of mourning for its longest-reigning monarch. In the cities’ imposing cathedrals and small town chapels, bells began tolling at noon (1100 GMT) as part of a long-planned, carefully orchestrated series of events to mark the queen’s death. At the same time, the British Parliament opened a special session to pay tribute to the Queen. An hour later, a special 96-shot gun salute is scheduled, one for each year of Elizabeth’s nearly century-long life. Her son, now King Charles III, was on his way from Balmoral Castle in Scotland where Elizabeth died on Thursday to London, where he will meet the prime minister and give a speech to the nation. —— LONDON — The Premier League has postponed its upcoming round of games as a mark of respect following the death of Queen Elizabeth II. This adds to the cancellation of high-profile golf, cricket and horse racing events across Britain on Friday. England’s top clubs held a meeting on Friday and said they wanted to “pay tribute to Her Majesty’s long and steadfast service to our country”. The English Football League — the three divisions below the Premier League — also canceled matches scheduled for the weekend. ——– King Charles III on his first full day in office left Balmoral in Scotland to head to London. He is expected to meet Prime Minister Liz Truss, who was appointed days earlier, and address the nation. The king spent much of his 73 years preparing for the role. He takes the throne at a time when many Britons are preoccupied with an energy crisis, the rising cost of living, the war in Ukraine and the fallout from Brexit. Britain has begun a 10-day period of mourning, with bells tolling across the country and a planned 96-gun salute in London — one for each year of the queen’s long life. —— TOKYO — Hong Kong and its people are also mourning Queen Elizabeth II. May Lam, who is studying in Japan, said she heard the news in the early hours of Friday and was too shocked to go back to sleep. Lam was born before Hong Kong’s handover to China in 1997 and grew up seeing the Queen in everyday life, including on stamps and coins. “In my mind or my memories, Queen Elizabeth was so special,” said Lam, who made the two-hour trip to the British Embassy in Tokyo. Hong Kong was ruled by Britain for 156 years. During her reign, Queen Elizabeth visited Hong Kong twice — in 1975 and 1986 after a visit to China. —— LONDON — The death of Queen Elizabeth II has left many wondering what will happen to British money bearing her image and whether it will be replaced by portraits of the new King Charles III. Financial officials tried to reassure people that there would be no big changes immediately, but said little else. “Current banknotes bearing the image of Her Majesty The Queen will continue to be legal tender,” the Bank of England said on its website. “A further announcement regarding existing Bank of England notes will be made once the mourning period has been observed.” The Queen was the first monarch to appear on Britain’s banknotes after the Treasury gave the central bank permission to use her image on a new £1 note issued in 1960. —— Germany’s president emphasized Queen Elizabeth II’s contribution to healing the wounds left by the Second World War during her long reign. President Frank-Walter Steinmeier says that “Britain extended the hand of reconciliation to Germany, and the hand of reconciliation was also the hand of the Queen.” He says 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 an invaluable important message of reconciliation after two devastating world wars, after the great guilt my country had borne.” —— LONDON — The head of the Anglican church says the death of Queen Elizabeth II is a moment of huge change for Britain and the world. The queen — who was a monarch and supreme ruler of the Church of England — died on Thursday aged 96 after 70 years on the throne. The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby says that for many people “a part of our lives that we took for granted as permanent no longer exists”. He says that with her death, “there is a huge change in the world around us, in how we see it and how we understand ourselves.” —— NEW DELHI — Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, on Friday expressed his deep sorrow over the death of Queen Elizabeth II and extended his condolences to her family and the British people. In a letter to King Charles III, the Dalai Lama said “I remember seeing pictures 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 should all treasure.” —— Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, whose 50-year reign is now Europe’s longest, has called the late Queen Elizabeth II a towering figure among European monarchs and a great inspiration to us all. “We will miss him terribly,” Margrethe said in a statement released by the Danish royal house. Elizabeth died on Thursday aged 96 after 70 years on the British throne. In neighboring Sweden, King Carl XVI Gustaf…
