WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden mourned the death of Queen Elizabeth II on Thursday, calling her “a stateswoman of unmatched dignity and constancy who deepened the bedrock Alliance between the United Kingdom and the United States.”
In a statement, Biden and the first lady wrote that “Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II was more than a monarch. She defined an era.”
“In the years ahead, we look forward to continuing a close friendship with The King and The Queen Consort. Today, the thoughts and prayers of people all across the United States are with the people of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth in their grief,” he wrote. “We send our deepest condolences to the Royal Family, who are not only mourning their Queen, but their dear mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. Her legacy will loom large in the pages of British history, and in the story of our world.”
Buckingham Palace announced that Queen Elizabeth II died Thursday at Balmoral Castle in Scotland at age 96, bringing an end to her 70-year reign. She was the longest-serving British monarch.
Biden, who first met the queen in 1982 as a Democratic senator from Delaware, last saw her in June 2021 during a trip to the United Kingdom for the annual Group of Seven summit.
Following the summit, the queen hosted the president and the first lady at Windsor Castle, her royal residence outside of London. Biden at the time described the queen as “extremely gracious” and said she “reminded me of my mother.”
Biden participated in a video call with British Prime Minister Liz Truss and other allies Thursday morning before the queen’s death was announced and offered his support to the queen and the people of the United Kingdom.
A White House official said Truss abruptly left the call, a sign that the queen had passed.
Queen Elizabeth met with 13 sitting U.S. presidents during her lifetime. Lyndon Johnson is the only one among the last 14 presidents whom she didn’t meet.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
