The Tribune

By EARYEL BOWLEG

Tribune Staff Reporter

ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

BRITISH officials and others reacted to the death of Queen Elizabeth II yesterday, offering condolences to the royal family.

Thomas Hartley, British High Commissioner to The Bahamas, said in a tweet yesterday that the Crown has passed to “our new monarch” King Charles III, the Queen’s son.

“My family and I mourn the loss of Her Majesty the Queen, and offer the King our loyalty and devotion,” he tweeted. “A condolence book will be opened in due course. God save the King.”

Former British High Commissioner to The Bahamas Sarah Dickson called the announcement “terribly sad news”.

“People around the world will be joined in mourning the passing of the icon of public service. Thoughts and prayers with her family for their loss,” she tweeted.

While speaking to reporters at the Office of the Prime Minister earlier yesterday, Mr Hartley spoke about the deep ties between the two nations.

“The UK and The Bahamas are our cousins, as both realms of Her Majesty and as communities that have long seen many Bahamians in the UK and many Brits here in The Bahamas - both making positive contributions to each other,” he said.

“I think there’s a clear overlap but a clear sort of affinity between our countries that will make my job as high commissioner easy to do in many ways because there already so much positive energy here but I hope like Mrs Dickson before me... I hope by the time I leave that we will see continued strength and continue the kind of institutional strength but also family relationships and sports, arts and music relationships between our countries grow.”

CARICOM Secretary General Dr Carla Barnett tweeted her “deepest regrets” on the passing of the Queen, adding a “life of service and duty is over”.

The Royal Commonwealth Society said in a media statement they were “immensely saddened” to learn of the passing of the Queen, their patron.

“From her public commitment to the Commonwealth family in Cape Town, South Africa, as a young princess in 1947, and throughout her long life and reign, the Queen was an instrumental figure in nurturing and inspiring this unique, voluntary association of independent, and sovereign nations,” the statement read.

“Since becoming the Head of the Commonwealth and patron of the society in 1952 at the age of 26, the Queen’s dedication to the Commonwealth has been unparalleled. From her numerous official visits to nearly every Commonwealth country, to lending her name and support to programmes and events of which the Society has been honoured to deliver and support, including The Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition, The Queen’s Commonwealth Canopy and The Queen’s Young Leaders, Her Majesty’s commitment to the value, and values, of this network of nations and peoples is humbling and irreplaceable.”

Executive chair of the Royal Commonwealth Society, Dr Linda Yueh, said: “No one has made a greater contribution to the Commonwealth over the decades than the Queen. As head of the Commonwealth, Her Majesty personally reinforced the links by which this unique network brings peoples and countries from around the globe together in common cause.

“Her life and tireless efforts will forever be linked to this voluntary association of 56 independent and equal, sovereign states, which encompass over 2.5 billion people, and to whom the Queen displayed an unwavering dedication.”

Jerusa Léa Ali, the political attaché at the British High Commission, noted the impact the Queen’s death will have on the Commonwealth.

“Today we mourn the passing of Her Majesty The Queen. Her loss is deeply felt throughout the realms including The Bahamas, the Commonwealth and around the world. A digital condolence book will be available at royal.uk/condolence.”