Pained by her demise: Indian PM Narendra Modi remembers Queen Elizabeth II

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered his condolences hours after Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II died on Thursday. She was 96 years old. “I will never forget her warmth and kindness”, Modi wrote in a social media post.

The Indian Prime Minister also shared an anecdote from one of his past meetings with Queen Elizabeth II. “During one of the meetings she showed me the handkerchief Mahatma Gandhi gifted her on her wedding. I will always cherish that gesture”, he wrote.

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“Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II will be remembered as a stalwart of our times. She provided inspiring leadership to her nation and people. She personified dignity and decency in public life. Pained by her demise”, Modi wrote in a follow-up post.

The two leaders last met in 2018, when Modi was invited to the Queen’s residence during a state visit. They also met in 2015, when Modi was invited to lunch at Buckingham Palace and was given a tour.

Other leaders of the Commonwealth nations also paid their tributes. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the death of Queen Elizabeth II is a time of mourning for the people in Britain, across the Commonwealth and around the world.

In a statement, he said she is the only reigning monarch most Australians have known and the only one to ever visit their country.

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British Prime Minister Liz Truss says the country is “devastated” by the death of Queen Elizabeth II, calling her “the rock on which modern Britain was built.” Truss added the news is “a huge shock to the nation and to the world” but that the queen’s spirit will endure.

Liz Truss was appointed as the new British Prime Minister just two days ago, becoming the 15th individual to hold the office during Elizabeth’s reign.