President Jair Bolsonaro decreed on Thursday (Sep. 8) a three-day mourning period as a tribute to Queen Elizabeth II from the United Kingdom. Brazil´s national flags in all public offices were lowered to half-staff.
In one of her last official messages addressed to President Bolsonaro, Queen Elizabeth II congratulated the Brazilian people on the celebration of the country´s 200 years of independence, on September 7. The Queen wrote she remembered with fondness the visit she paid to the country in 1968.
Manifestations
On social media, other Brazilian authorities expressed their sadness about the death of the longest-reigning monarch in the history of the British Crown. “On behalf of the Brazilian National Congress, I express my condolences to the family and all the people of the United Kingdom,” the president of the Senate Rodrigo Pacheco wrote.
The president of the House of Representatives also issued a statement. “Conveying my condolences to the British people and the royal family, I recall the historic links between Brazil and the United Kingdom, which date back to Brazil´s first years as an independent Nation, and which were strengthened while Queen Elizabeth reigned,” Congressman Arthur Lira wrote.
Vice President Hamilton Mourão also expressed himself on Elizabeth II’s death. “Today the Queen of our generation leaves us, those born in the 1950s who got used to seeing her as a symbol of the United Kingdom itself. This is a moment to pay tribute to this unique stateswoman,” he posted.
Foreign Affairs
Through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MRE), the Brazilian government conveyed its condolences. In an official note, the ministry highlighted the monarch´s path in seven decades in power and her visit to Brazil 54 years ago.
“Recalling the visit of Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh to Brazil is to value the strategic partnership between our country and the United Kingdom, which covers a large number of areas such as trade, public health, investment, academic exchange, science and technology, a partnership that has as its main purpose to contribute to the welfare of Brazilians and Britons, and the progress of both countries,” the note reads.
