Durban - British High Commissioner to South Africa Antony Phillipson says he is confident that King Charles III will continue the long held partnership with the country which was fostered by Queen Elizabeth II.
This follows the death of the UK’s longest reigning monarch, Queen Elizabeth II on Thursday at the age of 96, after a 70-year reign.
Phillipson said the death of the queen brought great sadness for those in the UK/South Africa network.
As the British Prime Minister Liz Truss has said, Queen Elizabeth II was the rock on which modern Britain was built, he said.
“Through her lifetime of public service, to which she memorably committed in an address delivered from Cape Town on her 21st birthday in 1947, she served the people of the Commonwealth with dignity and grace, and she leaves behind a lasting legacy of fostering friendships worldwide,” he said.
He thanked President Cyril Ramaphosa for his kind and heartfelt words marking the queen’s passing.
“Her commitment to deepening the partnership between the UK and South Africa was steadfast and long held, marked by the many visits she made to this country and the occasions when she welcomed South Africa’s leaders to the UK. I am confident the deepening of those bonds will continue under His Majesty King Charles III, building on the foundations her late majesty created,” said Phillipson.