Commonwealth leaders from around the world hailed Queen Elizabeth II as an inspiring, dignified and extraordinary leader after the British monarch’s death at the age of 96, IgbereTV reports
The queen became head of the Commonwealth of Nations, a group largely made up of former British Empire territories that spans six continents, after her accession to the throne in 1952.
Many of the bloc’s 56 member countries won their independence during her reign as decolonisation movements gained ground throughout Africa and Asia, including some nations with raw memories of colonial rule.
But Commonwealth leaders throughout the world were quick to praise the queen as a gracious monarch who presided over a momentous era in history and demonstrated great political acumen in her state dealings.
“I will never forget her warmth and kindness,” said India’s Hindu nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
She had provided “inspiring leadership to her nation and people”, he tweeted, recalling a meeting in Britain where she showed him a handkerchief given to her at her wedding by Indian independence hero Mahatma Gandhi.
In neighbouring Pakistan, President Arif Alvi remembered the queen as a “great and beneficent ruler” whose departure had left an immense vacuum.
Elizabeth II “would be remembered in golden words in the annals of world history”, he added.
Maldives President Mohamed Ibrahim Solih said the queen was a “shining example of public service, resilience and devotion to one’s country”.
Australian Prime Minster Anthony Albanese — an avowed republican — paid tribute to Elizabeth II’s “timeless decency” and said her death marked the “end of an era
