Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong mourned the death of Queen Elizabeth II this morning after her passing last night.
The Queen, who was Britain’s longest-reigning monarch and ruled for over seven decades, had been struggling with deteriorating health for the past year and died in Balmoral Castle in Scotland last night. She was 96.
“Deeply saddened by the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II,” he wrote. “On behalf of the Singapore Government, I extend my sincerest condolences to King Charles III and all members of The Royal Family, PM Liz Truss, and the British people.”
Prime Minister Lee had nothing but kind words to say about the Queen, referring to her as the “very heart and soul of the United Kingdom” and a “great world leader.” He also attributed her to Singapore’s close bilateral relations with the United Kingdom.
“Her Majesty also left a significant mark on Singapore’s history and our longstanding close relations with the United Kingdom,” he wrote. “Her passing is greatly mourned by everyone in Singapore.”
Lee attached a photo of him with the Queen in all smiles from their most recent meetup in a 2018 meeting in London.
Family members rushed to Scotland when news traveled that the Queen’s health was deteriorating. She had been suffering from “episodic mobility problems” since the end of last year which forced her to withdraw from her duties.
Her death was reported around 4:30pm London time (11:30pm SGT).
The Queen’s eldest son Charles, now the new king, said that her passing is “a moment of the greatest sadness for me and all members of my family.”
The 10-day mourning period begins in the United Kingdom and thousands have since gathered outside Buckingham Palace in central London to pay tribute to the Queen.
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