Washington DC/London: Leaders from around the world have paid tribute to the life and service of Queen Elizabeth II on her demise, with some of them recalling their association with the "kind-hearted" British monarch who exhibited a "timeless decency and an enduring calm."
Queen Elizabeth II, the UK's longest-serving monarch, died on Thursday at Balmoral Castle in Scotland after reigning for 70 years. She was 96.
US President Joe Biden spoke fondly of their first meeting in 1982 and more recently when she hosted him during an overseas trip in 2021.
French President Emmanuel Macron paid tribute, saying the Queen was a "kind-hearted" monarch and a "friend of France".
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz described the Queen as a "role model and inspiration for millions".
He praised her role in repairing relations between the UK and Germany after "the horrors of World War II".
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Queen Elizabeth was "one of his favourite people in the world".
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese noted that many had never known a world without her. "Though the noise and tumult of the years, she embodied and exhibited a timeless decency and an enduring calm," he said in a statement.
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern described the Queen as an "extraordinary" person.
Israel's President, Isaac Herzog, also acknowledged the enormous change the Queen saw throughout her reign, but said that throughout this, she "remained an icon of stable, responsible leadership and a beacon of morality, humanity and patriotism".
Russian President Vladimir Putin, who met the Queen several times, sent his "deepest condolences" to King Charles III. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky tweeted that it was with "deep sadness" that he learned of "this irreparable loss".