‘A servant queen’: World pays tribute to Queen Elizabeth II

By ANDREW MELDRUM
Associated Press

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — Across the globe, the death of Queen Elizabeth II has prompted reflections on the historic sweep of her reign and how she succeeded in presiding over the end of Britain’s colonial empire and embracing the independence of her former dominions. Tributes to the queen’s life have poured in from world leaders to rock stars and ordinary people along with some criticism of the monarchy. It was in Cape Town, marking her 21st birthday in 1947, that the then Princess Elizabeth pledged that her “whole life, whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service.” The British empire soon crumbled but Elizabeth managed to maintain a regal — if ceremonial — position as the head of the Commonwealth.