World leaders paid tribute to Queen Elizabeth II, who died on Thursday at the age of 96.
President Joe Biden said the queen defined an era.
"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," Biden said.
Biden noted that Queen Elizabeth II met 14 American presidents.
"Queen Elizabeth II was a stateswoman of unmatched dignity and constancy who deepened the bedrock Alliance between the United Kingdom and the United States," he said. "She helped make our relationship special."
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau echoed that sentiment.
"She was a constant presence in our lives – and her service to Canadians will forever remain an important part of our country’s history," he said.
French President Emmanuel Macron praised the queen for embodying unity for over 70 years.
"I remember her as a friend of France, a kind-hearted queen who has left a lasting impression on her country and her century," he said.
Former U.S. President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama released a statement on Thursday, saying, "we are awed by her legacy of tireless, dignified public service."
Like so many of you, Michelle and I are grateful to have witnessed Her Majesty’s dedicated leadership, and we are awed by her legacy of tireless, dignified public service. Our thoughts are with her family and the people of the United Kingdom at this difficult time. pic.twitter.com/sbID222iSQ
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) September 8, 2022
Former U.S. President Donald Trump wrote, "Melania and I are deeply saddened to learn of the loss of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II," People magazine reported.
Here in Acadiana, Warren A. Perrin, attorney and chairman of the board of the Acadian Museum, issued this statement:
“We at the Acadian Museum are very saddened to learn of the passing of the great British monarch, Queen Elizabeth II.”
In 1713, Acadia was ceded to England by the French, and Acadians in Nova Scotia were declared to be British subjects. During the last 329 years, the Acadians have been closely linked to the British Crown—for better or for worse.
Perrin observed that, like her predecessor Good Queen Anne—who allowed Acadians in Nova Scotia to continue practicing their Catholic faith—Queen Elizabeth II was a very wise woman, in that she gave all Acadians a symbolic reconciliation for the deaths and suffering of their ancestors that resulted from the diaspora of 1755. Furthermore, the Queen’s Royal Proclamation of 2003 decreed the establishment of July 28 of each year as a Day of Commemoration of the Acadian Deportation.
Perrin closed by saying that, “in February, I was contacted by a reporter, Andréanne Joly, who was writing an article about Queen Elizabeth II on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of her accession to the throne. She asked my opinion of Elizabeth II, and I replied that she was undoubtably a very wise woman. She made the correct moral decision by apologizing for the British deportation of the Acadians and the confiscation of their lands, homes, and worldly goods in 1755. My 12-year effort to obtain the Royal Proclamation of 2003 merely set the stage for her to do the right thing.”
Andy Perrin, Chairman of the Acadian Museum’s Executive Committee stated: “On August 17, 2022, a letter of thanksgiving—on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the monarch’s ascension to the throne—was sent to Her Majesty the Queen Elizabeth via her representative Counsel General Richard Hyde. The closing of the letter (attached) read as follows: “The purpose of this missive is to thank you for agreeing to have your representative sign the Royal Proclamation of 2003 and we humbly honor and celebrate you for your 70-year reign as Queen of England.”
May she rest in peace.
