British PM Liz Truss calls Queen Elizabeth ‘the rock on which modern Britain was built’
Speaking after the death of Queen Elizabeth II on Thursday at age 96, British Prime Minister Liz Truss said the monarch was “the rock on which modern Britain was built,” adding that she was “the very spirit of Great Britain.”
Video Transcript
LIZ TRUSS: We are all devastated by the news that we have just heard from Balmoral. The death of Her Majesty the Queen is a huge shock to the nation and the world. Queen Elizabeth II was the rock on which modern Britain was built. Our country has grown and flourished under her reign. Britain is the great country it is today because of her.
She ascended the throne just after the Second World War. She championed the development of the Commonwealth from a small group of seven countries to a family of 56 nations, spanning every continent of the world. We are now a modern, thriving, dynamic nation. Through thick and thin, Queen Elizabeth II provided us with the stability and the strength that we needed.
She was the very spirit of Great Britain. And that spirit will endure. She has been our longest ever reigning monarch. It's an extraordinary achievement to have presided with such dignity and grace for 70 years. Her life of service stretch beyond most of our living memories. In return, she was loved and admired by the people in the United Kingdom and all around the world.
