(CN) — A shocked United Kingdom began what will likely be dayslong, profound mourning Friday over the death of the nation's longest-serving monarch.
Queen Elizabeth II died at age 96 the previous afternoon at Balmoral Castle in Scotland. Buckingham Palace said the cherished and beloved queen died “peacefully” with her eldest son, Prince Charles, at her side. Shortly after her death, Charles was declared King Charles III. He made his first speech as monarch Friday evening.
“I speak to you today with feelings of profound sorrow," Charles said in his televised speech. “Queen Elizabeth’s was a life well-lived, a promise with destiny kept, and she is mourned most deeply in her passing. That promise of lifelong service I renew to you all today."
Tributes poured in from around the globe for Elizabeth, who was remembered as one of the world's towering figures after 70 years on the British throne. She was beloved by world leaders and millions of people for her many good attributes, including her warm smile, humility and sense of humor.
Her death marked the end of an era not just for Britain but for the world. When she ascended to the throne following her father's early death in 1952, Stalin was still in power in the Soviet Union and Harry Truman was U.S. president.
Over the course of her reign, Elizabeth traveled extensively as she tried to ease the slow dismantling of the British empire following World War II and forge relations with leaders around the globe.
Among her more memorable trips, she visited the Great Wall of China in 1986 and the Kremlin in 1994. She toured the United States in 1957, a trip that included lunch with Herbert Hoover, the former president, in New York City.
The British monarch is the head of state not only in the U.K. but also in 14 other former colonies, including Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Jamaica and a number of smaller island nations.
She met 13 of the past 14 American presidents and helped cement the so-called “special relationship” between the U.S. and Britain. The only president she didn't meet was Lyndon B. Johnson.
On Thursday, U.S. President Joe Biden ordered American flags to be lowered to half-staff at the White House and at all public buildings, grounds, military posts, naval stations, naval vessels, and overseas embassies and consular offices until sunset on the day of her interment.
“Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II was more than a monarch. She defined an era,” Biden said in a statement. “In a world of constant change, she was a steadying presence and a source of comfort and pride for generations of Britons, including many who have never known their country without her.”
Biden said the queen “led always with grace, an unwavering commitment to duty, and the incomparable power of her example.”
The White House added: “Her history-making reign bore witness to an age of unprecedented human advancement and the forward march of human dignity. Her legacy will loom large in the pages of British history, and in the story of our world.”
Tributes and condolences were delivered by celebrities, religious leaders and the heads of state, including from some of Britain's most ferocious adversaries such as Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
“The most important events in the modern history of the United Kingdom are inseparably linked to the name of Her Majesty. For many decades, Elizabeth II rightfully enjoyed the love and respect of her subjects, as well as authority on the world stage,” Putin said in a statement.
Putin met the queen in 2003 when he became the first Russian leader in more than 125 years to make a state visit to Britain. At the time, Russia was accepted as a partner with the West, but the relationship turned toxic in the ensuing years as Putin's regime turned more authoritarian and deeply antagonistic to NATO's desire to expand onto the former Soviet territories of Ukraine and Georgia.
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