Australia holds 96-gun salute to honour Queen Elizabeth II
Australia paid tribute to Queen Elizabeth on Friday by honouring her with a 96-gun salute outside the parliament house, one for every year of her life.
"History will remember few like Queen Elizabeth II. We mourn her passing. We are grateful that we have witnessed and benefited from her remarkable life," Australian Governor-General David Hurley said in a televised address to the nation after the salute. "We are grateful we have witnessed and benefited from her remarkable life."
Australians across the country woke on Friday morning to the news of the queen's death, with many shocked and saddened by the news. She was the head of state of Britain, New Zealand, Australia and 12 other realms within the Commonwealth of Nations.
Queen Elizabeth, Britain's longest-reigning monarch, the nation's figurehead and a towering presence on the world stage for seven decades, died peacefully at her home in Scotland on Thursday aged 96.
