Poles have been laying flowers and lighting candles outside the British embassy in Warsaw paying tribute to Queen Elizabeth, who died Thursday (September 8) aged 96. Warsaw Mayor Rafał Trzaskowski passed his condolences to the British nation.
Pictures of Elizabeth with various Polish leaders, including Pope John Paul II and former president Lech Walesa were exhibited on the fence of the embassy.
Queen Elizabeth, who had been the face of her nation for more than 70 years, visited Poland only once, in 1996 when she visited Warsaw and Krakow along with her husband Prince Philip.
The Mayor of Warsaw Rafał Trzaskowski offered his condolences on Twitter.
"Profound grief. The end of an era. At the age of 96, after 70 years of reign, died Queen Elizabeth II. Condolences to our British friends," mayor Trzaskowski wrote.
The city of Warsaw also expressed sympathies for the British on Twitter and attached a photo of the special illumination which had been displayed at the Palace of Culture iand Science to mark the Platinum Jubilee of Elizabeth II.
The Jubilee was the international celebration in 2022 marking the 70th anniversary of the accession of Queen Elizabeth II on 6 February 1952.
Queen Elizabeth, Britain's longest-reigning monarch, the nation's figurehead and a towering presence on the world stage for seven decades, died peacefully at her home in Scotland on Thursday aged 96.
"The death of my beloved Mother, Her Majesty The Queen, is a moment of the greatest sadness for me and all members of my family," the new king, her eldest son Charles, said.
"I know her loss will be deeply felt throughout the country, the Realms and the Commonwealth, and by countless people around the world," the 73-year-old said in a statement.
News that the queen's health was deteriorating emerged shortly after midday on Thursday when her doctors said she was under medical supervision, prompting her family to rush to Balmoral Castle in Scotland to be by her side.
Thousands gathered outside Buckingham Palace, in central London, and there was a stunned silence when the flag was lowered to half-mast. The crowd surged to the gates as the notice announcing the death of the only monarch most Britons have ever known was attached to the black iron gates.
Royal officials said King Charles III and his wife Camilla, the Queen Consort, would remain at Balmoral before returning to London on Friday, when Charles is expected to address the nation and meet Prime Minister Liz Truss.
On Elizabeth's death, Charles automatically became monarch of the United Kingdom and the head of state of 14 other realms including Australia, Canada and New Zealand.
Źródło: TVN24 News in English, Reuters, tvnwarszawa.pl
Źródło zdjęcia głównego: Mateusz Szmelter/tvnwarszawa.pl