Archbishop Desmond Tutu dies aged 90

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The Queen reacted to the death of Archbishop Tutu by issuing a poignant statement on behalf of the whole Royal Family. It read: “I am joined by the whole Royal Family in being deeply saddened by the news of the death of Archbishop Desmond Tutu, a man who tirelessly championed human rights in South Africa and across the world.”

In her statement, she recalled meeting the Archbishop, who contributed to bringing to an end the apartheid in South Africa, on multiple occasions.

She said: “I remember with fondness my meetings with him and his great warmth and humour.

“Archbishop Tutu’s loss will be felt by the people of South Africa, and by so many people in Great Britain, Northern Ireland and across the Commonwealth, where he was held in such high affection and esteem.”

The Archbishop, who campaigned for racial justice and LGBT rights through his life, died aged 90 on Sunday. 

The cause of his death hasn’t been disclosed.

In the late 1990s, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer and in recent years he was hospitalised on various occasions to treat infections associated with his cancer treatment.

The Archbishop was awarded a Nobel Peace prize in 1984 for his non-violent opposition to the apartheid, a system of institutionalised racial segregation which ended in the early 1990s.

Following the end of the regime, he chaired a Truth and Reconciliation Commission, set up to unearth atrocities committed over five decades.  

The Queen’s statement is the latest of a series of tributes addressed to the late activist.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said: “The passing of Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu is another chapter of bereavement in our nation’s farewell to a generation of outstanding South Africans who have bequeathed us a liberated South Africa.

“Desmond Tutu was a patriot without equal.”  

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