Former New Zealand Prime Minister Jim Bolger has paid tribute to Queen Elizabeth II, saying she served her 70-year reign for "so well and so long".
The Queen died aged 96 at her Balmoral home on Thursday afternoon (local time), Buckingham Palace announced.
Speaking on Friday (NZ time), Bolger, who met the Queen on several occasions, said she lived a "remarkable" life.
"[There is] also sympathy for her family, because while she's a huge international figure, the late Queen, she was a mother and a grandmother, and all the family members will feel the grief that all family members feel at the loss of a loved member," he told Newshub.
The Queen visited New Zealand in 1995 when Bolger chaired the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting. He said it was "wonderful" to have her in Aotearoa.
"I think she will be remembered very, very fondly by anyone who met her or had any dealings with her."
Watch Bolger's full interview above.
