US President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden said the Queen was “more than a monarch” and that she “defined an era”.
A White House statement said: “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.
“An enduring admiration for Queen Elizabeth II united people across the Commonwealth.
Joe Biden, First Lady Jill Biden and the Queen
Steve Parsons
The Queen has died aged 96
Kirsty O'Connor
"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.
“She, in turn, dedicated her whole life to their service.”
The pair said they first met the Queen in 1982 and when they made their first overseas trip to the UK as President and First Lady in 2021 “she charmed us with her wit, moved us with her kindness, and generously shared with us her wisdom”.
The Queen met 14 US presidents, helped commemorate key anniversaries in American history and “stood in solidarity with the United States during our darkest days after 9/11, when she poignantly reminded us that “grief is the price we pay for love”.
A Buckingham Palace statement announced the death of Her Majesty on Thursday.
The statement read: “The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon.
"The King and The Queen Consort will remain at Balmoral this evening and will return to London tomorrow.”
