World leaders mourn passing of Queen Elizabeth II

World leaders mourned the death of Queen Elizabeth II, Britain's longest-reigning monarch who died on Thursday owing to age-related ailments. She was 96. 

US President Joe Biden and the First Lady visited the British Embassy in Washington and offered condolences. Biden wrote a message in the condolence book and paid respects to the Queen of the United Kingdom. “We mourn for all of you. She was a great lady, I'm so delighted I got to meet her,” Biden said.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern told reporters she was awoken a little before 5am by a police officer shining a torch into her bedroom to tell her the news of Queen Elizabeth II's death. 

Under New Zealand's constitutional arrangements, the queen was also New Zealand's monarch and head of state. “The last days of the queen's life captures who she was in so many ways,” Ardern said. Ardern said the queen was an extraordinary woman who she'd remember for her laughter. Ardern said that like many other people, she was feeling not only deep sadness but also deep gratitude. 

Ardern said New Zealand had moved into a period of official mourning and would hold a state memorial service after the official funeral in Britain.

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari expressed immense sadness over the death of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II. “Her late Majesty was the only British sovereign known to 90 per cent of our population,” the Nigerian leader said, describing the late queen's reign as unique and wonderful.

“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 dedicated her life to making her nation, the Commonwealth and the entire world a better place,” Buhari added.

Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro issued a decree for three days of national mourning in the South American nation for the death of Queen Elizabeth II. He also said on Twitter, “Elizabeth wasn't the queen for the British only; she was a queen for all of us.”

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the death of Queen Elizabeth II is a time of mourning for the people in Britain, across the Commonwealth and around the world.

In a statement, he said she is the only reigning monarch most Australians have known and the only one to ever visit their country. “And over the course of a remarkable seven decades, Her Majesty was a rare and reassuring constant amidst rapid change. Through the noise and turbulence of the years, she embodied and exhibited a timeless decency and an enduring calm,” he said.

The British monarch is Australia's official head of state, although these days the role is considered primarily ceremonial.

Britain's historic rival and contemporary ally France lowered flags at the presidential palace and public buildings to half-staff in honour of the Queen. President Emmanuel Macron said no other foreign sovereign had visited the Elysee Palace more than Elizabeth, who knew all eight presidents of contemporary France.

He hailed her immutable moral authority, her intimate knowledge of French and the stability she brought across the fluctuations and upheavals of politics, a permanence with the scent of eternity.

“The woman who stood alongside the giants of the 20th century on the path of history has left to join them,” he said in a statement, sharing condolences to Britain from the French Republic and the French people.

Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness noted that ever since she was crowned in 1953, Queen Elizabeth II visited the island every decade until 2002. “Undoubtedly, she formed a special bond with the people of Jamaica during her reign,” he said. “We are saddened that we will not see her light again, but we will remember her historic reign,” he added.

Police in Scotland removed barriers blocking the gates to Balmoral Castle to allow the public to lay flowers for Queen Elizabeth II. The area had been blocked off as members of the royal family arrived earlier Thursday.

In London, the wrought iron gates at Buckingham Palace were brightened by dozens of colourful bouquets laid by mourners. Several sporting events in Britain were called off as a mark of respect following the death of Queen Elizabeth.