>> queen elizabeth ii has died at the age of 96. she was born on april 21, 1926. she was the daughter of king george vi and queen elizabeth. she married prince philip, duke of edinburgh in 1947. she was the longest lift and longest-serving british monarch, surpassing queen victoria in -- who reigned for 63 years. prince charles iii is heir to the throne. >> in a world of constant change, she was a setting

presence and a source and comfort of pride for generations of britons, including many who never knew their country without her. next, queen elizabeth's speech from a joint meeting of congress in 1991 where she discussed friendship between the u.k. and u.s. >> mr. speaker, her majesty queen elizabeth to -- close with two and his royal highness, the duke of edinburgh. [applause]

>> members of congress, it is my great privilege and i deem it high honor and personal pleasure to present to you her majesty elizabeth the second -- elizabeth ii. [applause]

queen elizabeth: i do hope that you can see me today from where you are. [laughter] [applause]

queen elizabeth: mr. speaker, mr. president, distinguished members of congress, i know what a rare privilege it is to address a joint meeting. thank you all for inviting me. the concept is simply described by airfare ham lincoln -- by abraham lincoln of "a government by the people, for the people, of a -- the people" is fundamental for our two nations. your congress and our parliament or the twin pillars of our civilization and the peace among the many treasures that we have inherited from our predecessors. we, like you, are staunch believers in the freedom of the

individual and the rules of a fair and just law. this support is shared with our european partners in the wider atlantic community. they are the bedrock of the western world. some people believe that power rose from the barrel of a gun. so it can but history shows that it never bodes well or for very long. in the end, it is sterile. we have known a better way. not rests on mutual agreement, -- that rests on mutual agreement, contract and -- new in significant part of yours is written down on your constitution. behind both however -- the

sentiment behind both is the same. the spirit of democracy. these ideals are clear in us but they must never be taken for granted. they have to be protected and nurtured through every change in fluctuation. i want to take this opportunity to express the gratitude of the british people to the people of the u.s. of america for their steadfast loyalty to our enterprise throughout this turbulent century. the future is however obscure. the end -- the only certainty is it will present the world with new and daunting problems. if we continue to stick to our fundamental ideals, i have every confidence that we can resolve them.

recent events in the gulf have proved that it is possible to do just that. both our countries saw the invasion of kuwait in just the same terms. any outrage to be reversed both for the people of kuwait and for the sake of the principles that make it aggression should not prevail. a reviews were identical and so were our responses. that response is not without risk but we have both learned from history that we must not allow aggression to succeed. [applause] queen elizabeth: i salute the

outstanding leadership of your president and the courage and prowess of the armed forces of the united states. [applause] queen elizabeth: i know that the service men and women of britain and all the members of the coalition were proud to act in a just cause alongside their american comrades. [applause] unfortunately, experience shows that great enterprises seldom and with a tidy and satisfactory flourish -- seldom end with a tidy and satisfactory flourish. together we are doing our best to reestablish peace and civil order in the region and to help

those members of ethnic and religious minorities who continue to suffer through no fault of their own. if we succeed, our military success will have achieved its true objective. for all the uncertainty, it would be a mistake to make the picture look to gloomy. the swift and dramatic changes in eastern europe in the last decade have opened up great opportunities for the people of those countries. they are finding their own paths to freedom but the past would have been blocked if the atlantic alliance had not stood together. if your country and mine had not stood together. let us never forget that lesson. [applause] you --

queen elizabeth: britain is at the heart of a glowing movement toward greater cohesion within europe. and within the european community in particular. this is going to mean radical economic, social, and political evolution. nato too is adapting to the new reality in eastern europe and the soviet union and the changing attitudes from the west. it is britons prime steps britain -- it is written -- britain's prime concern that the u.s. works with other members of their alliance and community. all our history underlines the basic point that the best progress is made when europeans

and americans act in concert. [applause] we must not allow ourselves to be enticed into a form of continental and similarity. i believe this is particularly important now at the time of major, social, environmental and economic changes in your continent and asia and africa. you must make sure that those changes do not become convulsion old -- convulsion. the primary goal is not domination but stability so everyone can get on with their lives in confidence.

our two countries have a special advantage in seeking to guide the process of change because of the risk -- rich ethnic and cultural diversity of both sides. stability in our own country depends on tolerance and understanding between different communities. perhaps we can together, build on our experience to spread the message we have learned at home to those regions where it has yet to be absorbed. whether we will be able to realize our hopes will depend on the maintenance of an acceptable degree of international order. in this, we see the u.n. as the social instrument in the promotion of peace and cooperation. we look to its charter as the guardian of civilized conduct between nations.

in 1941, president roosevelt spoke of freedom of speech and expression. everywhere in the world. freedom of every person to worship god in their own way, everywhere in the world. freedom from want and freedom from fear. just as our societies have prospered through their alliance on contract, not force, so too will the world be a better place for the spread of mutual respect and good faith which are so fundamental to our way of life. freedom under the rule of law is an international as well as a national concern. that thought might be in the minds of those of you attending the 50th anniversary meeting of

the british american parliamentary group. both are eager to greet you. they will tell you that our aim as britons and europeans is to celebrate and nurture our long-standing friendship that the people of the u.s. -- with the people of the u.s. we want to build on that foundation and to do better. and, if the going gets rough, i hope you can still agree with emerson who wrote in 1847, "i feel in regard to this aged england with a kind of instinct that she sees a little better on a cloudy day and that in storm of battle and calamity, she has a secret vigor and a pulse like a cannon.

" [applause] queen elizabeth: you will find us worthy partners and we are proud to have you as our friends. may god bless america. [applause]

>> members of congress are reacting to the passing of queen elizabeth ii. this tweet says "queen elizabeth ii personally stopped fascism and presided over decolonization. i send my condolences to the people of the u.k., canada and all members she resided over". "i spent time with the queen at the debut symphony hall and found her to be grateful -- gracious and kind, a wonderful representative of her nation". in john cannon tweeted "becky and i mourn the loss of the queen. she was a dear friend to

america. i will never forget her playing the star-spangled banner at buckingham palace after 9/11. her extraordinary legacy will endure". >> there are a lot of places to get political information but only at c-span do you get it straight from the source. no matter where you are from or where you stand on the issue, c-span is america's network. unfiltered, unbiased, word for word. if it happened here or here or here or anywhere that matters, america is watching on c-span. powered by cable. >> today, president biden will speak at the democratic national committee summer meeting. watch live coverage from maryland's national harbor, beginning at 7:00 p.m. eastern on c-span, c-span now our free mobile video app or online at

c-span.org. >> coming up on c-span, the former secretary of state mike pompeo and others talk about the impact of the abraham accords, a sign peace agreement with between israel, the united arab emirates and the u.s. this discusses how that deal was brokered and how it helped to develop relationships with other middle eastern countries. astern countries. >> i am married with stevens inc., your host for tonight's seminar on conservative realism and national security and night, we will discuss the middle east to mark the second anniversary of the abraham accords, the landmark agreement that normalized is really all -- israeli relationship -- normalized israeli relations with some arab countries.