Sheikh Hasina receives phone call from Britain's new king

Britain's new King Charles III has called Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to thank her for attending the funeral of Britain's Queen Elizabeth II.

King Charles expressed his gratitude in a telephone call from Buckingham Palace on Saturday evening (September 17) local time, the Prime Minister's Office's press wing reported.

The Prime Minister is currently in London on a four-day visit to attend the funeral of Britain's late Queen Elizabeth II. He will attend the Queen's funeral at Westminster Abbey on Monday morning. Queen Elizabeth II died on September 5 at the age of 96. As per tradition, the Queen's eldest son Charles became king after that.

During the telephone conversation, King Charles III expressed his condolences and sympathies to the royal family over the Queen's death, as well as the people of Bangladesh, the Prime Minister's Press Wing said in a statement. During the conversation, Sheikh Hasina described the late Queen Elizabeth II as a "motherly figure" and described her as an "extraordinary head of the Commonwealth". She informed the King that she had come to attend the state funeral as a personal tribute to the Queen.

She informed the King that Bangladesh has observed three days of state mourning in honour of the late Queen of Britain and special prayers have been offered for the repose of the Queen's soul. Sheikh Hasina once again congratulated King Charles III on his accession to the throne of the British Empire and wished him a long and prosperous reign. The Prime Minister also recalled the visit of King Charles (then Prince Charles) to Bangladesh in 1997.

He said that Bangladesh was preparing to welcome King Charles and the Queen Consort next month to mark the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Bangladesh and the United Kingdom. In response, the King said, "We were looking forward to the visit to Bangladesh on this 50th anniversary. However, due to recent events, it has unfortunately had to be cancelled."