The Prime Minister of New Zealand has instructed how she was woken at 5am by a police officer shining a torch into her bed room – to inform her the information of the Queen’s dying.
Jacinda Ardern’s anecdote, and subsequent heartfelt tribute to Her Majesty, is only one of many from the heads of Commonwealth nations.
New Zealand
Under New Zealand’s constitutional preparations, the queen was additionally the nation’s monarch and head of state, and Ms Ardern described her as “extraordinary”.
She mentioned: “The last days of the queen’s life captures who she was in so many ways – working until the very end on behalf of the people she loved.”
She added that, like many different individuals, she was feeling not solely deep disappointment but in addition deep gratitude.
“Here is a woman who gave her life, utterly, to the service of others. And regardless of what anyone thinks of the role of monarchies around the world, there is undeniably, I think here, a display of someone who gave everything on behalf of her people, and her people included the people of Aotearoa New Zealand.”
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Gun salutes, a nationwide deal with and 10 hours of tributes: How the nation will mark the Queen’s dying on Friday
Nigeria
Another of the Commonwealth nations, Nigeria, gained independence from the British in 1960, 4 years after the late queen’s first official go to to the West African nation.
When Elizabeth final visited in 2003, she spoke of Nigeria’s crucial function within the Commonwealth and applauded the nation for its “leading part in the new partnership for Africa’s development”.
Its present president Muhammadu Buhari expressed “immense sadness” over her dying.
“Her late Majesty was the only British sovereign known to 90% of our population,” he mentioned, describing the late queen’s reign as “unique and wonderful”.
He added: “The story of modern Nigeria will never be complete without a chapter on Queen Elizabeth ll, a towering global personality and an outstanding leader.
“She devoted her life to creating her nation, the Commonwealth and the whole world a greater place,” Mr Buhari added.
The queen’s death comes as a growing number of British territories in the Caribbean seek to replace the monarch with their own heads of state, amid demands Britain apologises for its colonial-era abuses – and award its former colonies slavery reparations.
Jamaica
However, Caribbean leaders from Jamaica to Bermuda and beyond mourned her death.
Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness noted that ever since she was crowned in 1953, the Queen visited the island every decade until 2002.
“Undoubtedly, she shaped a particular bond with the individuals of Jamaica throughout her reign,” he said. “We are saddened that we are going to not see her mild once more, however we are going to bear in mind her historic reign.”
In March, when Prince William and Kate visited Jamaica as part of an official trip to the Caribbean, Mr Holness made an unexpected announcement in public that the British Commonwealth country intended to become fully independent.
Since then, Jamaica has established a Constitution Reform Committee and is scheduled to hold a referendum in 2025. If approved, it would join other republics in the region including Barbados, Dominica, Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago.
Australia
The Queen was Australia’s official head of state, though nowadays the function is taken into account primarily ceremonial.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese mentioned she is the one reigning monarch most Australians have identified and the one one ever to go to their nation.
“And over the course of a remarkable seven decades, Her Majesty was a rare and reassuring constant amidst rapid change,” he mentioned.
“Through the noise and turbulence of the years, she embodied and exhibited a timeless decency and an enduring calm.”
Canada
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau known as her “a constant presence in our lives”.
He mentioned: “Her service to Canadians will forever remain an important part of our country’s history.”
“I’m having trouble believing that my last sit-down with her was my last,” Trudeau added. “I will so miss those chats.”
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Elizabeth, who was Canada’s head of state, visited the nation 22 instances as monarch.
Ghana
In Ghana, which turned a member of the Commonwealth in 1957, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo recalled Elizabeth’s visits to his nation and praised “the friendliness, elegance, style and sheer joy she brought to the performance of her duties”.
He added: “We shall miss her inspiring presence, her calm, her steadiness, and, above all, her great love and belief in the higher purpose of the Commonwealth of Nations, and in its capacity to be a force for good in our world,” he mentioned in an announcement.
Bermuda
Bermuda Premier David Burt famous her reign “has spanned decades of such immense change for the United Kingdom and the world”.
He mentioned she had lived a lifetime of “undimmed duty” and was a “model of strength and devotion to country”.
Source: information.sky.com”