Queen Elizabeth II: King Charles mourns death of mother

China’s President Xi Jinping has sent condolences to King Charles III over the death of the queen.

State media said he “extended his sincere sympathy to the British royal family, British government and people.”

Al Jazeera’s Adrian Brown, who lived in Hong Kong for many years, said the time it took to respond to her death was perhaps a reflection of the difficult relationship between the two countries.

“At times like these the Communist Party becomes paralysed and those at the top have to work out what the line is going to be,” he said. “This is complicated because Queen Elizabeth was the sovereign head of a country that has fallen out badly with China in the past few years over Hong Kong and the situation in Xinjiang. While the queen is deeply respected in China, the government (in Beijing) does not get along with the government of the United Kingdom at the moment.”

Australia will observe 14 days of mourning following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, and parliament will be suspended until after her funeral has taken place, according to The Age newspaper.

Flags have already been lowered to half-mast, and a gun salute is expected at 5pm local time (07:00 GMT) on Friday. Cannons will fire one round every 10 seconds to mark each year of the queen’s life.

The country’s Governor General — the monarch’s representative in Australia — as well as Prime Minister Anthony Albanese are both expected to fly to London to attend the queen’s funeral.

A number of the world’s landmarks have been lit in honour of Queen Elizabeth II following her death.

The Empire State Building in New York was lit in purple, while the Statue of Christ the Redeemer that overlooks the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro was illuminated in the colours of the British flag.

In Paris, meanwhile, lights on the Eiffel Tower were turned off as a mark of respect.

London is preparing for the arrival of huge crowds of people to mourn the queen, according to Al Jazeera correspondent Neave Barker who was outside Buckingham Palace in the early hours of Friday morning.

Barker said scaffolding was being erected, crash barriers placed along roads and banners hung.

Later on Friday, the Accession Council — a body of about 200 prominent figures — will meet for the official proclamation of King Charles III. That will be followed by a 41-gun salute in Hyde Park that Barker said could last as long as seven minutes.

Charles will then meet British Prime Minister Liz Truss and later make an address to the British people.

Errol Mendes, a professor of law and a constitutional expert at the University of Ottawa in Canada, says the death of Queen Elizabeth II heralds a period of “transition” for the Commonwealth, with some countries already looking to become republics.

Mendes noted that the queen had travelled far to achieve a “closeness” among nations in the Commonwealth, noting she had visited Canada 22 times during her 70 years as monarch.

“There was virtually no part of the Commonwealth that she did not visit and try to strengthen that bond, so with her death it’s going to be interesting to see whether her successor King Charles III will continue that or whether or not it will affect the Commonwealth’s inner strength, so to speak.”

Malaysia has extended its “sincere condolences” to the family of the queen, the British people and the UK government over the death of Queen Elizabeth II.

“Her majesty was a towering figure and led a lifetime of dedication and service to the people of the UK and the Commonwealth,” Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah wrote on Facebook.

Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has joined world leaders in paying tribute to Queen Elizabeth II.

Kishida said the queen made a “great contribution” towards strengthening ties between Japan and Britain, and that her death was a big loss for the international community.

“I am deeply saddened by the news of the passing,” Kishida told reporters on Friday. “The government of Japan expresses its heartfelt condolences to the British royal family, the British government and the British people.”

Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) have sent condolences to King Charles III, according to two statements on state news agency SPA.

“Her majesty was a role model for leadership that will be immortalised in history,” King Salman said.

MBS, meanwhile, said the world will remember the great impact of the queen’s work throughout her career.

The UK House of Commons is to sit from 12pm local (11:00 GMT) “for tributes to Her late Majesty,” according to a statement posted on Twitter.

The session is expected to last about 10 hours.

The lower house of parliament will then sit again on Saturday at 2pm (13:00 GMT) “when a small number of senior Members will take the oath to His Majesty the King”.

Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness has said that since she was crowned in the 1950s, Queen Elizabeth II visited the island every decade until 2002, forming “a special bond with the people of Jamaica during her reign”.

“We are saddened that we will not see her light again, but we will remember her historic reign,” Holness said.

The prime minister made an unexpected announcement in March that the British commonwealth intended to become fully independent.

The Caribbean nation is scheduled to hold a referendum in 2025; if approved, it would join other republics in the region including Barbados, Dominica, Guyana, and Trinidad and Tobago.

New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has said the country is offering its “deepest sympathy to members of the Royal Family at the passing of the Queen”.

“To us, she was a much admired and respected monarch, to them she was a mother and grandmother,” Ardern said in a statement.

“The Queen was a much loved and admired monarch, whose record reign of 70 years is an absolute testament to her, and her commitment to us all. She was extraordinary.”

Christopher Wilson, the royal biographer, has said the likely first challenge that Britain’s new King Charles III faces will be to unite the British royal family after a tumultuous few years.

“He has got to either knock heads together or talk to people and try to bring a sense of unity back to this fractured royal family,” Wilson told Al Jazeera.

“We cannot deny the fact that in the last couple of years, as the queen has ailed, we have seen the wheels slightly falling off the royal train.”

Al Jazeera’s Heidi Zhou-Castro, reporting from Washington, says the queen held “great significance” for Americans.

“The average American has a deep fascination with the British monarchy. It is something so distinctly different from the American experience,” Zhou-Castro said, adding that the queen was “a sovereign who was celebrated, who fascinated the average person”.

“She was a celebrity.”

US President Joe Biden has signed a book of condolences at the UK embassy in Washington, DC, after the death of Queen Elizabeth II.

Al Jazeera’s Heidi Zhou-Castro, reporting from the US capital, said Biden also had issued a lengthy statement earlier in the day, praising the British monarch.

“He called her a stateswoman of unmatched dignity,” Zhou-Castro said. “He also went on to describe her as the first monarch who really gained worldwide significance and fame, really capturing the imagination and the admiration of Americans.”

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has said in a letter to King Charles that his late mother Queen Elizabeth’s reign had “defined the history” of the UK and Europe.

“She symbolised the best of the United Kingdom, its people and its values. She meant so much to many and, on a personal note, has been an inspiration throughout my life,” von der Leyen wrote.

Christopher Wilson, a royal biographer, has described Queen Elizabeth II as “without question … the greatest monarch that Great Britain has ever had”.

“Not only has she reigned longer than anybody else, but she has been more places, she’s shaken more hands, she’s been all over the world,” he told Al Jazeera.

“Her image over 70 years has made itself known to millions, billions of people across the globe.”

Former US President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle issued a statement paying tribute to the late queen, saying that she had “captivated the world” since her coronation 70 years ago.

The Obamas said they were lucky to have gotten to know Queen Elizabeth.

“Time and again, we were struck by her warmth, the way she put people at ease, and how she brought her considerable humor and charm to moments of great pomp and circumstance,” they said.

Queen Elizabeth’s eldest son Charles has succeeded her as monarch.

Click here for an explanation of what happens next, including the protocol surrounding the accession of a new monarch and funeral arrangements for the late Queen Elizabeth.

The speaker of the US House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, has extended the “deepest and most sincere condolences to the Royal Family” on behalf of Congress.

“Queen Elizabeth embodied the highest spirit of civic duty: earning the reverence of her people and the respect of the world,” Pelosi said in a statement.

“Under history’s brightest spotlight, Queen Elizabeth offered a masterclass in grace and strength, power and poise. Her extraordinary life and leadership will continue to inspire young women and girls in public service, now and for generations to come.”

Sarah Clarke, reporting from Brisbane in Australia, said the country’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described the queen’s death in an address to the nation as a moment “of sadness for the world”.

“There’s huge admiration here for the queen in Australia,” Clarke said, adding that Albanese plans to travel to London in the coming days.

A national memorial would also be held, she said.

“The people of Australia had a huge soft spot for the queen, so Australia is, of course, another nation in mourning.”