As Britain mourned the death of Queen Elizabeth II on Friday, a host of dominions, empires and former colonies marked the loss of a common figurehead and an irreplaceable link to a rapidly fading era.

Although she was 96, the Queen’s death came as an emotional shock from Africa to the Pacific.

“Papua New Guinea’s mountains, valleys and coasts rose this morning to the news that our Queen has been put to rest by God,” Prime Minister James Marape told his country.

“She was the anchor of our Commonwealth and for PNG we affectionately call her ‘Mama Queen,'” he said, just one of dozens of emotional tributes pouring in from countries once colored pink on maps.

In New Zealand, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern had read about her monarch’s poor health before she went to bed.

A “police officer shone a flashlight into my room at around 10 to 5 this morning… I knew immediately what that meant”.

“I am deeply saddened,” she added, fondly recalling conversations about raising children in the public spotlight.

Across the Pacific in Canada, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the Queen will “remain forever an important part” of his country’s history, but also offered personal stories that went beyond stuffy-sounding explanations.

“She was one of my favorite people in the world,” he said. “I’m going to miss those talks so much.”

Most of Britain’s former colonies have changed drastically since a newly crowned Elizabeth Windsor ascended the throne in 1953.

At the time, India’s population was about 380 million – down from 1.4 billion today – British forces brutally suppressed Kenya’s Mau Mau revolt, and New Zealand subject Edmund Hillary made the first successful ascent of Mount Everest with the long-unrecognized Nepalese Partner Tenzing Norgay.

For many, Elizabeth II represented one of the few remaining links to this fading era of empire, to “the old country,” to an intertwined history, or to the common victim of a gruesome world war.

India’s Hindu nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi recalled that at her wedding, Elizabeth II showed him a handkerchief given to her by independence hero Mahatma Gandhi.

“I will always appreciate this gesture,” he wrote on Twitter. “She embodied dignity and decency in public life.

The death of Elizabeth II inevitably raised the question of whether bonds forged in colonialism and sustained by the personal charisma of a petty monarch could endure.

The Queen has been a “driving force” in the Commonwealth, said Harsh V Pant, professor of international relations at King’s India Institute in London.

The bloc of 56 countries – most of which were former British colonies – spans Africa, Asia, America, Europe and the Pacific, and encompasses 15 realms where Elizabeth II was still head of state.

“So what happens to this Commonwealth now? Will it survive the future?” Pant asked.

In Sydney, Maya Munro, 20, said the Queen was both an “incredible figurehead” and a role model, particularly for women.

But like many young Australians, she envisions “a very different role” for the future of the monarchy.

“I think the queen has been the monarchy for so long. And it’s brought her so much respect, history and honor,” she said.

“I think it just plays a different role in our lives these days. Perhaps we are moving away from the monarchy now.”

Speaking in the New Zealand capital of Wellington, Warwick Murray, 50, said: “Politicians come and go, but someone like Queen Elizabeth cannot be replaced.”

“The fact that she was above politics and really positive minded means I admire her a lot.”

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese – a self-confessed Republican – tried to deflect questions about the future head of state by declaring 10 days of mourning.

Instead, he paid tribute to Queen Elizabeth’s “timeless grace” and said her death was the “end of an era”.

“A historic reign and long life devoted to duty, family, faith and service has come to an end,” he said.

“Today is an issue day, and an issue only, intended to pay tribute.”

Even where the legacy of colonialism is still raw, leaders have focused on women’s qualities rather than the baggage of their role.

“The history of modern Nigeria will never be complete without a chapter about Queen Elizabeth II, a preeminent global figure and an outstanding leader,” said President Muhammadu Buhari.

“She has dedicated her life to making her nation, the Commonwealth and the world a better place.”

The President of Zimbabwe, which withdrew from the Commonwealth in 2003 after being suspended over human rights concerns and had decades of frosty relations with its former colonial master, offered his own condolences to the British public.

“May she rest in peace,” wrote President Emmerson Mnangagwa.