Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was among the many dignitaries to speak on the death of Queen Elizabeth II on Thursday as the country began its national period of mourning.
“In the hearts of every one of us there is an ache at the passing of our Queen, a deep and personal sense of loss — far more intense, perhaps, than we expected,” Johnson said in the statement. “This is our country’s saddest day. In these first grim moments since the news, I know that millions and millions of people have been pausing whatever they have been doing, to think about Queen Elizabeth, about the bright and shining light that has finally gone out.”
PRINCE CHARLES ASCENDS TO THE THRONE AS KING CHARLES III
Johnson met the queen at her Balmoral Castle in Scotland two days before the monarch died. In one of her final duties as the queen, Elizabeth received Johnson’s resignation as the British prime minister and asked new Prime Minister Liz Truss to form a government.
The queen, who was 96 at the time of her death, reigned for 70 monumental years and was the United Kingdom’s longest-reigning monarch.
“She seemed so timeless and so wonderful that I am afraid we had come to believe, like children, that she would just go on and on,” Johnson said. “It is only really now that we grasp how much she meant for us, how much she did for us, how much she loved us. As we think of the void she leaves, we understand the vital role she played, selflessly and calmly embodying the continuity and unity of our country. We think of her deep wisdom, and historic understanding, and her seemingly inexhaustible but understated sense of duty.”
The queen, who loved to stay busy and interact with her people, never complained about the burden of a heavy public schedule, Johnson said before acknowledging the queen’s natural ability to make the country happy.
“That is why we grieve for Elizabeth the Great, the longest serving and in many ways the finest monarch in our history,” Johnson said. “Though our voices may still be choked with sadness we can say with confidence the words not heard in this country for more than seven decades, God save the King.”
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Charles, the queen’s eldest son, ascended to the throne after his mother’s death and will now go by King Charles III. A funeral has not been set but typically occurs 10 days after the monarch’s death, according to royal tradition. Prince William is the new heir apparent. Charles’s wife, Camilla, is now the “Queen Consort.”
