Jaishankar signs the condolence book for Queen Elizabeth II

NEW DELHI: External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar on Monday signed the condolence book for Queen Elizabeth II, at the residence of British High Commissioner to India Alex Ellis. Queen Elizabeth II passed away peacefully last Thursday at the royal family retreat - Balmoral Castle, Aberdeenshire, Scotland.

Signed the condolence book at the UK High Commission to express our profound sorrow on the demise of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

She symbolized the continuity and change that ushered her nation into the contemporary era, in tune with global developments. pic.twitter.com/Aj6YEI3NIi

— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) September 12, 2022

She was the longest-serving monarch of the UK and the second longest in world history after Louis, the XIV, whose reign lasted 72 years and 110 days (1643 to 1715) in France.

Condolence messages for the royal family have poured in from world leaders addressed to Prince Charles, now King Charles III.

US president Joe Biden and US first lady Jill Biden said, "Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II was more than a monarch. She defined an era."

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said she would be remembered as "a stalwart of our times" who had "personified dignity and decency in public life".

A State funeral for the departed Queen is scheduled for September 19th at West Minister Abbey. Many world leaders are likely to attend the funeral. King Charles-III was proclaimed the new monarch of England on Saturday after his mother Queen Elizabeth II passed away.

King Charles Philip Arthur George paid tribute to his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, and spoke of the "great inheritance and of the duties and heavy responsibilities of Sovereignty."

Born on November 14, 1948, he was the first child of Elizabeth and Philip, then the princess and prince. At the age of 19, he formally became the Prince of Wales on July 1, 1969. William, the Prince of Wales, wrote a heartfelt message over the demise of his "Grannie", the late Queen Elizabeth II.

Meanwhile, media reports said that Queen Elizabeth's coffin has arrived at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh, following a six-hour journey from Balmoral Castle to the Scottish capital. While the coffin arrived mourners lined the streets of villages and cities to pay tribute to the longest-serving British monarch as her procession made its way across Scotland to her final resting place, reported CNN.

The coffin of Queen Elizabeth II began a six-hour journey from her home in the Scottish Highlands to Edinburgh. The state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II will take place at Westminster Abbey on September 19, a statement by the UK Royal Family said.

India had observed one-day state mourning as a mark of respect to Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, who passed away on September 8, the national flags at all government buildings including Red Fort and Rashtrapati Bhavan fly at half-mast on Sunday.