Buckingham Palace said Thursday that Queen Elizabeth II had died peacefully at Balmoral Castle in Scotland, prompting an outpouring of condolences from leaders around the world.
In Washington, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said “our hearts and our thoughts go to the family members of the Queen. It goes to the people of the United Kingdom.”
“Our relationship with the people of the United Kingdom … has grown stronger and stronger,” she said.
President Joe Biden was expected to issue a statement later in the day.
French President Emmanuel Macron tweeted Thursday that the queen “embodied continuity and the unity of the British nation over 70 years. I retain the memory of a friend of France, a queen of hearts who marked as never before her country and her century.”
Katalin Novak, the president of Hungary, noted the Queen’s “unwavering service” in a tweet.
Germany’s foreign minister, Annalena Baerbock, expressed sadness at the news, tweeting: “Germany remains forever grateful that she stretched out her hand to us in reconciliation after the terror of World War II.”
Italian Premier Mario Draghi in a condolence message hailed the queen as having been “the absolute protagonist of world history of the last 70 years.” Draghi, who is now acting in a caretaker role ahead of Italian parliamentary elections later this month, said Elizabeth had represented the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth “with equilibrium, wisdom, respect for institutions and for democracy.”
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