Obama pays tribute to Queen with special Diamond Jubilee message

London: Barack Obama has paid a moving tribute to the Queen in a special video message, expressing America’s “heartfelt congratulations” to mark her Diamond Jubilee.

The US President noted how the Queen’s “reign has endured” over the years while many presidents and prime ministers had “come and gone.” His father, Barack senior, was a citizen of the Commonwealth country Kenya and he also has relatives who live in Britain. Obama said the Queen was a living witness to the power of the alliance between the two nations. “Your majesty, on the historic occasion of your Jubilee, Michelle and I send you and all the British people and members of the Commonwealth the heartfelt congratulations of the American people,” the Daily Express quoted him as saying. “In war and in peace, in times of plenty and in times of hardship, the United States and the United Kingdom have shared a special relationship. Our majesty, on the historic occasion of your Jubilee, Michelle and I send you and all the British people and members of the Commonwealth the heartfelt congratulations of the American people. “We have stood tall and strong – and faced some of the greatest challenges this world has known. “While many presidents and prime ministers have come and gone, Your Majesty’s reign has endured,” he said. The President and the First Lady were guests at Buckingham Palace last year when the Queen hosted them for an official state visit – a rare honour for a US President. Obama insisted that Her Majesty was “a chief source” of the resilience of the links between the US and the UK – and he called her 60-year reign “extraordinary”. “As a steadfast ally, loyal friend and tireless leader, Your Majesty has set an example of resolve that will be long celebrated. “And as we work together to build a better future for the next generation, it is gratifying to know that the bonds between our nations remain indispensable to our two countries and to the world,” he added. Invoking the Jubilee beacons lit across the globe on Monday, he said: “May the light of Your Majesty’s crown continue to reign supreme for many years to come.” ANI