Patriarch Kirill, the leader of the Russian Orthodox Church, has expressed condolences over the death of Queen Elizabeth II, saying she was an example of "the highest culture."
Patriarch Kirill wrote in a letter to King Charles III on September 9 that his mother's reign was a symbol of stability, continuity, and historic traditions "not only for her homeland but for the European continent as a whole."
"Political leaders and heads of the world's powers treated her with enormous respect. It is with great warmth that I remember her visit to Russia in 1994, which left me with the kindest impressions," Kirill said in the letter, which came a day after the monarch died at 96 after 70 years on the throne.
"She was an open, knowable person who was able to appreciate a conversation partner, an example of a deep intellectuality and the highest culture," he added.
While the queen was technically the head of state in the United Kingdom, her powers were largely symbolic and ceremonial, and she was politically neutral.
Still, she was a major presence on the world stage for seven decades and her death has drawn condolences from around the world.