In Beijing on Friday, Chinese President Xi Jinping offered “sincere sympathies to the British government and people”.

“Xi Jinping, representing the Chinese government and the Chinese people, as well as in his own name, expresses deep condolences,” a statement said, adding: “Her passing is a great loss to the British people.”

The statement, released on Chinese state media, noted the queen was the first British monarch to visit China and praised the longevity of her reign.

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“Xi Jinping stressed that he attaches great importance to the development of China-UK relations,” that statement said, adding he was “willing to work with King Charles III... to promote the healthy and stable development of bilateral relations for the benefit of the two countries and their peoples.”

Hours earlier in Washington, US President Joe Biden cancelled a scheduled speech and praised Elizabeth as a “stateswoman of unmatched dignity” and “unwavering commitment to duty”.

“Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II was more than a monarch,” Biden said in a statement. “She defined an era.

“She was the first British monarch to whom people all around the world could feel a personal and immediate connection,” he added, whether they heard her as a young princess speaking on the radio to children during World War II, gathered around their TV sets for her coronation or watched her Platinum Jubilee on their smartphones.

Biden ordered flags at the White House and government buildings to be flown at half-staff until the queen’s funeral.

A tearful Justin Trudeau, the prime minister of Canada, choked up as he said that it was with deep sadness that he saluted her “wisdom, compassion and warmth”.

The new British Prime Minister Liz Truss, on her third day on the job, stepped to a podium at 10 Downing Street and solemnly lionised the queen as the “rock upon which modern Britain was built”.

The government of Australia, where antimonarchy sentiment runs high, said the people of Britain “will feel they have lost part of what makes their nation whole”.

“Australian hearts go out to the people of the United Kingdom who mourn today, knowing they will feel they have lost part of what makes their nation whole,” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said.

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“There is comfort to be found in Her Majesty’s own words: ‘Grief is the price we pay for love’.”

And from a fortified bunker in his war-ravaged country, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky tweeted that the queen’s death marked “irreparable loss”.

Even Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose country’s relations with Britain have plummeted over the war in Ukraine, extended his condolences: “For many decades Elizabeth II rightly enjoyed the love and respect of her subjects”.

Pope Francis paid “tribute to her life of unstinting service to the good of the nation and the Commonwealth”. He also said prayers for King Charles, invoking “an abundance of divine blessings” to guide him in his new role.

In parts of the world that once formed the British Empire, and where the ghosts of exploitation and often brutal colonialism haunt people’s memories, there were condolences for Elizabeth while not necessarily for the monarchy.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi remembered her as a “stalwart of our times”.

“She personified dignity and decency in public life,” he said on Twitter.

Modi recalled a meeting with the queen when she showed him a handkerchief that Gandhi had given her on her wedding.

“I will always cherish that gesture,” he said.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres referred to the long period of decolonisation in Asia and Africa and cited Elizabeth’s role then as “a reassuring presence throughout decades of sweeping change”. Guterres noted that the British monarch visited the UN headquarters in New York on two occasions, 50 years apart.

Even Sinn Fein, an Irish nationalist political party that historically fought the British government, expressed sorrow and credited Elizabeth as a peacemaker.

“I am grateful for Queen Elizabeth’s significant contribution and determined efforts to advancing peace and reconciliation,” said a Sinn Fein leader, Michelle O’Neill.

Many of the royal families of Europe said they would miss her, praising her sense of duty and her historic reign.

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“The Queen served her countries and the Commonwealth with a unique devotion and sense of duty,” Sweden’s King Carl XVI Gustaf, a distant relation of the queen, said in a statement issued by his court.

Denmark’s Queen Margrethe II, who was the queen’s third cousin, said Elizabeth was “highly respected and deeply loved,” adding that she “was a towering figure among the European monarchs and a great inspiration to us all. We shall miss her terribly.”

Spain’s King Felipe VI has expressed his deep sadness. “We will miss her very much,” he wrote in a telegram of condolences sent to Elizabeth’s son, King Charles III.

The Dutch royal family also sent a tribute in a statement that also expressed gratitude for the friendship between the two nations.

Meanwhile King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium called her an “extraordinary personality” in a message of condolence.

“We will always keep fond memories of this great Lady, who, throughout her reign, showed dignity, courage and devotion,” the statement said.

Additional reporting by dpa and Reuters