Patriarch Kirill, head of the Russian Orthodox Church, said Friday that Queen Elizabeth II was a symbol of historic traditions for the whole of Europe.

In a statement on the website of the church, Kirill, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, said that the queen was “an example of the highest culture.”

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman paid tribute to Queen Elizabeth II on Friday, calling the monarch “an example of wisdom, love and peace.”

“The world remembers today the great impact and deeds that she had throughout her reign,” Saudi Arabia's de facto leader said in a statement shared by the Saudi state media.

Bin Salman's father, King Salman, also paid tribute in a separate statement, remembering Elizabeth as “a model of leadership that will be immortalized in the history.”

“We recall with appreciation the efforts of the deceased in consolidating the friendship and cooperation relations between our two friendly countries, as well as the high international status that Her Majesty enjoyed throughout the decades during which she acceded to the throne of your friendly country," he said.

As King Charles III grieves the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, he will also be expected to fulfill a number of royal duties on his first full day as king.

On Friday, Charles and his wife, Camilla, are expected to depart Aberdeen and make their way to London, where the king is expected to meet with British Prime Minister Liz Truss, who took office just days ago on Tuesday.

Charles is also expected to issue a prerecorded address to the nation on his first full day as king.

Arrangements following the queen’s death have long been planned under the code name London Bridge.

A period of royal mourning will be observed from now until seven days after Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral, Buckingham Palace said in a statement.

The date of the funeral has yet to be announced, but will be confirmed “in due course,” it said, adding that the period of royal mourning will be observed by members of the royal family, royal household staff and representatives of the royal household on official duties, along with troops committed to ceremonial duties.

Royal residences are also expected to be closed until after the queen’s funeral, including the Queen’s Gallery and the Royal Mews at Buckingham Palace, along with the Queen’s Gallery in Edinburgh, the statement said.

Balmoral Castle and Sandringham House, the queen’s private estates, will also be closed during the mourning period, in addition to Hillsborough Castle in Northern Island, it added.

Church bells are expected to toll across England on Friday to mark the death of Queen Elizabeth II, the country’s longest-reigning monarch, who died Thursday at age 96.

The Central Council of Church Bell Ringers is recommending that bells be tolled for one hour starting at noon local time (7 a.m. ET), the Church of England said.

“The death of the Sovereign is one of the rare occasions when fully muffled bells are sounded — a technique to create an echo by fitting pads to both sides of the bell clapper,” the Church of England said in a statement.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he and the American people are extending their deepest sympathies to King Charles III, the royal family and the United Kingdom following the death of Queen Elizabeth II.

“For more than 70 years — a period during which the United Kingdom and the world witnessed unprecedented change — Queen Elizabeth personified a sense of stability. During a time of tremendous division, she was a source of unity,” Blinken said.

Blinken added in a statement that the queen “was the embodiment of the special relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom.”

“We join people around the world in mourning her passing, and we will forever be inspired by the memory of her service, leadership, and friendship,” he said.