Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II was more than just a queen. defined an era.
In a world of constant change, she has been a constant presence and a source of comfort and pride for generations of Britons, including many who would not have known their country without her. Enduring admiration for Queen Elizabeth II united people across the Commonwealth. The seven decades of her history-making reign witnessed an era of unprecedented human progress and the march forward of human dignity.
She was the first British Queen with whom people around the world could feel a personal and instant connection – whether they heard her on the radio as a young princess talking to UK children, or gathered around their televisions for her coronation, or watched her last Christmas address or her platinum jubilee on their phones. And she, in turn, devoted her whole life to their service.
With the support of her beloved Prince Philip for 73 years, Queen Elizabeth II has always led with grace, unwavering commitment to duty, and incomparable strength to her example. She took the dangers and privations of world war on the side of the British people and rallied them through the devastation of a global pandemic to look forward to better days to come. Through her dedication to her care and charities, she has supported causes that lift people and expand opportunities. By showing friendship and respect to the newly independent nations around the world, she made the cause of freedom and fostered the lasting bonds that helped strengthen the Commonwealth, which she so dearly loved, into a community to promote peace and shared values.
Queen Elizabeth II was a stateswoman of unparalleled dignity and fortitude who deepened the fundamental alliance between the United Kingdom and the United States. You helped make our relationship special.
We first met the Queen in 1982, and traveled to the UK as part of a Senate delegation. And we have been honored that she offered us her warm hospitality in June 2021 during our first foreign trip as President and First Lady, enchanting us with her wit, impressing us with her kindness, and generously sharing her wisdom with us. Finally, she met 14 US presidents. I helped Americans celebrate Jamestown’s founding and the bicentennial of our independence. And she stood in solidarity with the United States during our darkest days after 9/11, when she poignantly reminded us that “sorrow is the price we pay for love.”
In the coming years, we look forward to continuing a close friendship with The King and The Queen Consort. Today, the thoughts and prayers of people across the United States are with the people of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth in their grief. We send our deepest condolences to the royal family, who mourn not only the Queen, but her dear mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. Her legacy will be prominent in the pages of British history and in the story of our world.
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