‘She Defined An Era’: White House Releases President Biden’s Statement On Queen Elizabeth’s Passing

The White House on Thursday released a lengthy statement from President Joe Biden and his wife, First Lady Jill Biden, on the passing of Queen Elizabeth II.

The monarch died peacefully on Thursday, surrounded by family, Buckingham Palace announced.

The Queen “was more than a monarch,” the joint statement from the Bidens said. “She defined an era.”

“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,“ the Bidens continued. “An enduring admiration for Queen Elizabeth II united people across the Commonwealth. The seven decades of her history-making reign bore witness to an age of unprecedented human advancement and the forward march of human dignity.”

“She was the first British monarch to whom people all around the world could feel a personal and immediate connection—whether they heard her on the radio as a young princess speaking to the children of the United Kingdom, or gathered around their televisions for her coronation, or watched her final Christmas speech or her Platinum Jubilee on their phones,” the statement said. “And she, in turn, dedicated her whole life to their service.”

The Bidens said Queen Elizabeth “led always with grace, an unwavering commitment to duty, and the incomparable power of her example.”

The late monarch was joined by her beloved Prince Philip, the president noted. The pair were married for some 73 years before the prince passed last year at age 99.

“She endured the dangers and deprivations of a world war alongside the British people and rallied them during the devastation of a global pandemic to look to better days ahead,” the statement continued. “Through her dedication to her patronages and charities, she supported causes that uplifted people and expanded opportunity. By showing friendship and respect to newly independent nations around the world, she elevated the cause of liberty and fostered enduring bonds that helped strengthen the Commonwealth, which she loved so deeply, into a community to promote peace and shared values.”

“Queen Elizabeth II was a stateswoman of unmatched dignity and constancy who deepened the bedrock Alliance between the United Kingdom and the United States,“ the pair said. “She helped make our relationship special.”

“In the years ahead, we look forward to continuing a close friendship with The King and The Queen Consort,” the statement added, referring to Charles and his wife, Camilla. “Today, the thoughts and prayers of people all across the United States are with the people of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth in their grief. We send our deepest condolences to the Royal Family, who are not only mourning their Queen, but their dear mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. Her legacy will loom large in the pages of British history, and in the story of our world.”

You can read the full statement here.