By Sri Lanka will declare September 19 as a day of mourning in view of the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II of the UK, who was the leader of the Commonwealth.
President Ranil Wickremesinghe has given necessary directives to the Ministry of Public Administration & Home Affairs, the PMD added.
Meanwhile, the national flag will be lowered to half-staff at public institutions until September 19.
Sri Lanka parliament also observed a two-minute silence this morning (Sep 09), to honor the memory of the Queen, who passed away yesterday at the age of 96.
Just five months after her coronation, Queen Elizabeth II engaged in a royal visit to Sri Lanka. This was the first visit to Sri Lanka by a reigning monarch. She was accompanied by her husband, Prince Philip, The Duke of Edinburgh. The ten-day tour included a royal procession through Colombo where she opened the first session of the second Parliament of Ceylon, a train ride to Kandy, and tours of Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, and Nuwara Eliya.
