Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has paid tribute to The Queen’s dedication to duty and service, and comfort to Australia in times of crisis, as she died aged 96.
The Australian leader was told news of the Queen’s death an hour before the rest of the world was informed via an official announcement.
Mr Albanese leader offered his condolences to the Royal Family, the British people, and his own country, which held Her Majesty in the highest regard.
His lengthy statement, issued in the early hours of Friday morning, paid tribute to her many achievements and incredible strength of character over her 70 year, 214 day reign.
‘With the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, an historic reign and a long life devoted to duty, family, faith and service has come to an end,’ he said.
Scroll down to read Anthony Albanese’s full statement
The Queen’s place in the hearts of millions of Australians was as abiding as her lifelong relationship with the one-time colony. She is pictured receiving flowers from waiting school children waving flags after a Commonwealth Day Service in Sydney in March 2006
Australian Prime Minister (pictured in parliament hours before news of The Queens’s dire health broke) offered his condolences to the Royal Family, the British people, and all his own citizens who held Her Majesty in the highest regard
‘The government and the people of Australia offer our deepest condolences to the Royal Family, who are grieving for a beloved mother, grandmother and great-grandmother – the person whom for so long was their greatest inner strength.
‘Australian hearts go out to the people of the UK who mourn today, knowing they will feel they have lost part of what makes their nation whole.
‘There is comfort to be found in Her Majesty’s own words: “Grief is the price we pay for love”.’
Mr Albanese, a republican who will likely begin the push to end the monarchy after a respectful time, said many Australians would feel a strong sense of loss when they awoke to the news on Friday.
‘This is a loss we all feel, for few have known a world without Queen Elizabeth II. In her seven remarkable decades on the throne, Her Majesty was a rare and reassuring constant amidst rapid change,’ he said.
‘Through the noise and tumult of the years, she embodied and exhibited a timeless decency and an enduring calm.
‘From the moment the young princess became Queen, shouldering the mighty weight of the institution into which she was born, Her Majesty made dedication to duty and service above self the hallmark of her reign.’
The Queen first visited Australia with Prince Philip in 1954, arriving on the SS Gothic which steamed into Sydney Harbour after almost six weeks at sea. She is pictured with Prince Philip at Parliament House in Canberra during that tour
Mr Albanese noted that The Queen was a loyal friend to Australia, the UK’s closest Commonwealth ally, and was beloved by many of its people.
He thanked her for the sympathy she showed during times of national crisis and loss, such as condolences sent during national disasters – most recently the Black Summer bushfires of 2019-20.
‘She celebrated our good times, she stood with us in the bad. Happy and glorious but steadfast too. In particular, we recall the sympathy and personal kindness she extended to Australians afflicted by tragedy and disaster.’ he said.
‘Throughout it all, she was a monarch who let her humanity show, performing her duty with fidelity, integrity and humour.
‘In this, she was supported so long and so lovingly by the late Prince Philip, her “strength and stay” for 73 years.’
The Queen visited Australia in 1954, 1963, 1970, 1973, 1974, 1977, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1986, 1988, 1992, 2000, 2002, 2006 and 2011 – her last time on these shores. She is pictured in 1981
The prime minister recalled how The Queen visited Australia very early in her reign for a famous tour in February 1954 – before he was even born.
‘From her famous first trip to Australia, the only reigning sovereign to ever visit, it was clear Her Majesty held a special place in her heart for Australia,’ he said.
‘Fifteen more tours before cheering crowds in every part of our country confirmed the special place she held in ours.
An unfathomable amount has changed on both sides of the world since that first tour, including Australia’s place in the world and relationship to Britain, but Mr Albanese noted she always deftly navigated it.
‘As monarch for more than half the life of our Federation, the relationship between Australia and Britain matured and evolved throughout Her Majesty’s reign,’ he said.
The Queen’s last visit to Australia came in 2011 when then Labor prime minister Julia Gillard described her as ‘a vital constitutional part of Australian democracy’. She is pictured in Perth during that trip
‘The Queen greeted each and every change with understanding, good grace and an abiding faith in the Australian people’s good judgment.
‘This was the deft and diplomatic way she bound the diversity of the modern Commonwealth, nations around the world who will mourn her passing.’
Mr Albanese closed his statement by promising Australians would not soon forget Her Majesty or the limitless esteem they held her in.
‘Today marks the end of an era, the close of the second Elizabethan age. This time of mourning will pass but the deep respect and warm regard in which Australians always held Her Majesty will never fade,’ he said.
‘May she rest in eternal peace.’
***
Read more at DailyMail.co.uk