Julie Andrews shares a heartfelt tribute to the queen after her death

Julie Andrews shared a heartfelt tribute to the queen as she remarked that “it looks like we have lost a friend”.

The country’s longest-serving royal, Queen Elizabeth II, died “in peace” at the age of 96 in Balmoral, Scotland on Thursday.

And the legendary actress, 86, joined legions of royal fans in praising the queen as she greeted the monarch for his “wisdom and grace of love” in a statement.

Julie, who herself played a royal as the widowed queen of Genovia in the original The Princess Diaries, shared: “A page in history has changed today.

“Along with millions of others, I mourn the passing of our beloved Queen Elizabeth II.”

Her statement continued: ‘We seem to have lost a friend – a devoted monarch who inspired us all with his love, wisdom and grace.

“We can honor her by maintaining the standards she has set for herself and her nation.”

After the queen’s death, a number of big names in show business shared tributes to the monarch, including Victoria Beckham, Sir Elton John and Mick Jagger.

It comes as Britain is today mourning the death of her beloved monarch, Queen Elizabeth II. After 70 extraordinary years on the throne, the longest-lived royal in the country died “in peace” yesterday at the age of 96 at Balmoral in Scotland.

His death caused an immediate and huge outpouring of emotion, with thousands of heartbroken mourners gathering outside the gates of Buckingham Palace and other royal buildings last night.

At one point, a version of “God Save The Queen” rang out among the mourners, followed by cheers from “Long Live The King”.

Others have laid flowers outside Windsor Castle, where the Queen had spent much of her time following the death of her beloved husband, Prince Philip, in April last year.

And as a sign of the queen’s considerable influence and charm around the world, royal fans have laid flowers outside British embassies, including Washington, Berlin and Oslo.

The elder royals are believed to have rushed to the queen’s bedside Thursday, but did not reach Balmoral in time before her death.

Only his eldest sons, Prince Charles and Princess Anne, who were already in Scotland at the time of the monarch’s sudden turn for the worse, were able to reach the royal estate before his death, the sources say.

Prince Andrew, Prince Edward, his wife Sophie and Prince William all flew from Berkshire in a private jet to Aberdeen on Thursday as they rushed to Balmoral to see her. But it is understood that they did not reach the estate before her death.

Prince Harry, who was due to attend a charity event with his wife Meghan in London on Thursday, also attempted to reach Balmoral in time. But he arrived at 8pm, nearly an hour and a half after the public was informed of the queen’s death.

The son of Queen Charles, the former Prince of Wales, is now King Charles III, while Prince William has inherited his father’s title and is now, along with his wife, called the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and Cambridge. William is now also “the apparent heir” to the British throne.