Commonwealth leaders from around the world hailed Queen Elizabeth II as an inspiring, dignified and extraordinary leader after the British monarch’s death at the age of 96.
BASIC FACTS
- Leaders of Commonwealth mourns the death of Queen Elizabeth who died on Thursday at the age of 96.
- The Queen was the Head of the Commonwealth during her as the British monarch.
- Commonwealth nations share historical ties with the UK arising from the colonial days.
WHAT WE KNOW
With the passage of the British Queen late Thursday, members of the Commonwealth of nations have continued to express grief and pour in condolences.
The queen became head of the Commonwealth of Nations, a group largely made up of former British Empire territories that spans six continents, after her accession to the throne in 1952.
Many of the bloc’s 56 member countries won their independence during her reign as decolonisation movements gained ground throughout Africa and Asia, including some nations with raw memories of colonial rule.
Commonwealth leaders throughout the world were quick to praise the queen as a gracious monarch who presided over a momentous era in history and demonstrated great political acumen in her state dealings.
NOTABLE QUOTES
“I will never forget her warmth and kindness,” said India’s Hindu nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“She had provided inspiring leadership to her nation and people”, he tweeted,
In neighbouring Pakistan, President Arif Alvi remembered the queen as a
“great and beneficent ruler whose departure had left an immense vacuum.”
“Elizabeth II would be remembered in golden words in the annals of world history”, he added.
Maldives President Mohamed Ibrahim Solih said, “the queen was a shining example of public service, resilience and devotion to one’s country”.
Australian Prime Minster Anthony Albanese — an avowed republican — paid tribute to Elizabeth II’s “timeless decency” and said her death marked the “end of an era.”
“An historic reign and a long life devoted to duty, family, faith and service has come to an end,” he said.
His New Zealand counterpart Jacinda Ardern said she had learned of the queen’s death when a “police officer shone a torch into my room at around ten to five this morning”.
She said she had been reading some of the accounts of the queen’s ill health before going to bed, so “when that torchlight came into my room I knew immediately what it meant. I am profoundly sad,” she dded.
Canadian premier Justin Trudeau said the queen would “forever remain an important part” of his country’s history.
“She was a constant presence in our lives,” he said, adding that the monarch would be remembered for her “wisdom, compassion and warmth”.
The leader of Malawi, where Elizabeth II reigned as sovereign before it transitioned to a republic in 1966, said he had “fond memories” of hosting the queen during a royal tour the following decade.
“Her inimitable legacy as a friend of Malawi will forever be etched on our hearts and indelibly marked in the pages of our history, a history she positively shaped in more ways than we can put into words,” said President Lazarus Chakwera.
And the president of Zimbabwe, which withdrew from the Commonwealth in 2003 after its suspension over human rights concerns, and endured decades of frosty relations with its former colonial ruler, offered his own sympathies to the British public.
“May she rest in peace,” wrote President Emmerson Mnangagwa.
In recent years, the Commonwealth has opened its doors to countries that were never British colonies, as it seeks to maintain its relevance in a changing world.
“Queen Elizabeth II was a great friend of Africa and Africa was affectionate towards her in return,” said Gabonese president Ali Bongo.
The monarch had been a “driving force” in the Commonwealth, said Harsh V Pant, professor of international relations at King’s India Institute in London.
CATCH-UP
The British Monarch is the traditional head of the Commonwealth of Nations, a group largely made up of former British Empire territories that spans six continents, after her accession to the throne in 1952.
Queen Elizabeth became Head of the Commonwealth upon becoming Queen in 1952, following the death of her father King George.
Many of the bloc’s 56 member countries won their independence during her reign as decolonisation movements gained ground throughout Africa and Asia, including some nations with raw memories of colonial rule.
In West Africa, Nigeria, Ghana, the Gambia, Sierra Leone known formerly as the British West Africa are members of the Commonwealth.
Other Africa members of the Commonwealth includes Zambia, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, South Africa etc.
Its members now include former Portuguese colony Mozambique, and its two most recent new members Gabon and Togo, which joined on June 25, were once ruled by France.
TAKEAWAY
There are concerns how the Commonwealth will fare in the absence of Queen Elizabeth. Will the group continue under the leadership of her son King Charles? Will there be changes to the structure of the group?
The world looks ahead as things begins to unfold under the new reign of the queen`s natural successor.
