‘Our saddest day’: UK politicians, spiritual leaders and stars mourn demise of the Queen | The Queen

The nation is grieving with “profound disappointment” over the passing of the Queen, whose “steadfast loyalty, service and humility” sustained the UK for over 70 years, the archbishop of Canterbury has mentioned, as tributes poured in for the monarch.

Liz Truss, who met the Queen two days in the past to be requested to kind a authorities – led the tributes in her second deal with outdoors Downing Road since taking workplace.

“The demise of Her Majesty the Queen is a large shock to the nation and to the world,” she mentioned in a short and sombre speech that ended with the solemn phrases “God save the King”.

She mentioned: “At present the crown passes, because it has accomplished for greater than 1,000 years, to our new monarch, our new head of state, His Majesty King Charles III.”

The Labour chief, Sir Keir Starmer, mentioned the nation ought to treasure her love as properly her mourn the loss. “Our longest-serving and greatest-ever monarch. Above the clashes of politics, she stood not for what the nation fought over however what it agreed upon. In disaster, she reassured us. Reminding us that we’re all a part of one thing that stretches again by means of time. An emblem of the most effective of us,” he mentioned.

Truss’s predecessor as prime minister, Boris Johnson, mentioned: “That is our nation’s saddest day. Within the hearts of each one among us there may be an ache on the passing of our Queen, a deep and private sense of loss.

“A shiny and shining mild that has lastly gone out … she appeared so timeless and so great that I’m afraid we had come to imagine, like youngsters, that she would simply go on and on.”

The demise of the Queen, who ascended to the throne after the second world struggle, brings to an finish the longest reign of any British monarch – seven years longer than Queen Victoria.

She continued to hold out her formal duties till days earlier than her passing, a mirrored image of the religion she had within the function of the monarchy in Britain, mentioned Justin Welby, the archbishop of Canterbury.

“By means of instances of struggle and hardship, by means of seasons of upheaval and alter, and thru moments of pleasure and celebration, we now have been sustained by her late Majesty’s religion in what and who we’re referred to as to be,” he mentioned.

“As we grieve collectively, we all know that, in dropping our beloved Queen, we now have misplaced the individual whose steadfast loyalty, service and humility has helped us to make sense of who we’re by means of a long time of extraordinary change in our world, nation and society.”

Information of concern over the Queen’s well being emerged in a Buckingham Palace assertion at 12.32pm on Thursday. A sombre temper descended on parliament after the Commons Speaker, Lindsay Hoyle, interrupted a speech by the SNP’s Westminster chief, Ian Blackford, to interrupt the information.

“I do know I communicate on behalf of your entire home once I say that we ship our greatest needs to Her Majesty the Queen and that she and the royal household are in our ideas and prayers at this second,” Hoyle mentioned.

The previous prime minister John Major described the Queen as a pacesetter, “selfless and clever, with an exquisite generosity of spirit”, who “embodied the center and soul of our nation”.

Tony Blair mentioned the nation had misplaced “not simply our monarch however the matriarch of our nation, the determine who greater than some other introduced our nation collectively, stored us in contact with our higher nature, personified every little thing which makes us proud to be British”.

He added: “We’ll mourn her. We’ll miss her. However our overwhelming sentiment can be of gratitude, profound, heartfelt and honest thanks for what she did, what she stood for, for the life she lived and for what she gave us.”

The Democratic Unionist get together chief Sir Jeffrey Donaldson remembered her “groundbreaking” function in reconciliation in Eire after she visited the Republic in 2011, the primary reigning monarch to take action. “Her Majesty led by instance in Northern Eire and reached out the hand of friendship to assist with the reconciliation course of. We’re obligation sure to construct on that basis,” he mentioned.

Public figures and celebrities joined politicians in expressing their grief. Stephen Fry, the actor and writer, tweeted: “Oh pricey. Oh my. Oh heavens. Bless my soul. Oh lor. Heck. I don’t know why I’m sobbing. Foolish actually. Oh pricey.”

The Harry Potter writer, JK Rowling, mentioned some could discover an outpouring of British shock and grief “quaint or odd”, however “tens of millions felt affection and respect for the girl who uncomplainingly crammed her constitutional function for 70 years”.

She added: “Most British folks have by no means recognized one other monarch, so she’s been a thread winding by means of all our lives. She did her obligation by the nation proper up till her dying hours, and have become an everlasting, optimistic image of Britain all around the world. She’s earned her relaxation.”

The Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker mentioned it was a “terribly unhappy day”.

Frank Bruno, the previous boxing champion, mentioned the Queen was the “Matriarch Mom of our nation”.

Ozzy Osbourne posted on Instagram: “I mourn with my nation the passing of our biggest Queen.”

Paddington Bear, who took tea with the Queen in a video to have fun her jubilee, additionally paid tribute in a tweet.